Floating On Air
by Winchestergirl123
Summary: Gwen Tozier always had a sinking feeling that something was off in the small town of Derry. So when her younger brother and his close group of friends tell her an evil entity in the form of a clown is the one responsible for all the deaths and missing kids, she believes them. She finds out for herself though just how real this clown is and what IT wants from her.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Okay guys so here's the prologue. I was really nervous about releasing this because the remake of **IT** isn't out yet, and I want the story to fit with the movies plot as perfectly as possible. That being said, I did my absolute best in trying to get the right details and such. I know for sure that the remake will take place in the summer of 1989, (after the death of Georgie) so therefore the prologue will be set in 1988, a year before any of the chain of events happen. Be warned though that once the movie does come out, I might change it a bit so that it can fit better with the remake. But as of right now just enjoy the short prologue I was able to write. Bask it in because the next chapter won't probably come out until September. Happy readings! (:_

 _BTW, Gwen's face-claim is **Quinn Shephard.**_

 _As for my other OCs mentioned, I only have face-claims for two of them. Chase's face-claim is **D**_ _ **ylan Minnette,** and for Gwen's best friend, Francine, her face-claim is **K**_ ** _athryn Newton._** _Although they are minor characters, especially Chase's, I still wanted to give them face-claims. They are however going to be important to Gwen in the story, especially Chase. What ends up happening to him will leave an impact on her... o.O_

 ** _Summary_ : **_Gwen Tozier always had a sinking feeling that something was off in the small town of Derry. So when her younger brother and his close group of friends tell her an evil entity in the form of a clown is the one responsible for all the deaths and missing kids, she believes them. She finds out for herself though just how real this clown is and what IT wants from her._

 _ **P.S.** I do not own any of the movies or songs mentioned in this chapter. I have to admit I had so much fun writing the prologue, since I had to think as if I were living in the eighties myself. (:_

* * *

 _"I know that's what people say- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, you'll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him."_ _― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Prologue: The date that never happened**_

 ** _Late August, 1988_**

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Gwen Tozier kept repeating that word in her mind every-time her pencil tapped onto her school desk. Her rich dark brown eyes were set on the classroom's old clock that was hung on the wall. The time mocked her by how slow it went. If you asked her it was way too slow for her liking. She tried to be patient, but having patience had never been a thing for the Tozier girl. She was always too adrenalized for her own good. Though that must have been easily because of her ADHD _―_ or maybe because it was Friday and the weekend was calling for her. Although deep down she knew the the first of the two choices was the right one.

From across the room she saw how her blonde haired best friend Francine Simmons was looking at her. A clear " _what are you doing?"_ type of stare was set on her face. Gwen knew why she was giving her this type of look. She should have been reading the passage in her textbook their teacher assigned like the rest of the students were doing, but she was not doing that. She didn't want to. So to make this more obvious to her best friend, Gwen just gave her a whimsical expression as she continued on with her pencil tapping.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Who ever is doing that insistent tapping, please _stop_." Mrs. Walters, their overweight of a History teacher suddenly said. She sounded irritated and when Gwen gazed at her she saw that her teacher looked irritated as well.

Now she didn't stop her tapping until all her classmates started to look towards her. Non-discreetly might she add. Mrs. Walters followed their stares until they landed onto her, sitting in the towards the right side of the classroom. Immediately Gwen offered her a sheepish smile. Mrs. Walters, however, looked anything but amused.

"Miss Tozier, is there a reason for you gracing us with your pencil tapping?"

Clear sarcasm and attitude could be detected in her voice, but Gwen by now was used to dealing with people like this. Mrs. Walters being no exception. Sometimes what she would say would come out naturally, other times she would need a few seconds in order to think of something to retort back. Right now what she was about say to her History teacher came naturally.

"Just the way you teach History and the way you assign us readings gets me all hyped up, Mrs. Walters." Gwen said with a tight smile. "Your teaching style is just too much for me to contain to myself." After she said this she heard some of the students laugh, and saw how some of them were stifling their laughter and amusement. Like Francine who was hiding her smile behind her hand.

Mrs. Walters' cheeks turned red from what Gwen assumed was from anger and annoyance, but before she could say anything back to her the school bell rang. Finally indicating the end of the school day. Not even waiting another second, Gwen jumped out of her seat and walked out of the classroom. Leaving behind a very vexed History teacher.

"Did you really have to say that?" Francine asked her smiling as they walked through the crowded school hallway.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, she's the one who asked. I was just being honest. Well...semi honest."

Francine shook her head and laughed. Her laugh was soft and sweet-sounding. "I swear, you're just like your brother."

Gwen's smile grew at the mention of her goofball of a younger brother Richie. This made her remember why else she was looking forward to the weekend. Yesterday she went to the local video store the town of Derry had and rented out a bunch of horror movies like _The Evil Dead,_ _The Thing,_ _Halloween, and_ _I Was a Teenage Werewolf_. The last one had been specifically rented for Richie. She was going to rent _The Return Of The Living Dead_ , but decided against it. Four horror movies was enough. Plus the _Tarman_ from that zombie flick freaked her out. That thing gave her nightmares when she was little. But not as much as spiders. She _hated_ spiders. Those eight legged freaks still gave her chills.

All the movies she rented would have cost her a pretty penny, but Gwen knew one of the workers at the video store. _Amy_ _Samuels_. They were friends, but not close friends. Not like her and Francine who have been friends with her since the third grade. However, she and Amy were close enough for her to get a discount on the videos she rented. Anyways, her and Richie were planning to watch all of them tonight. And she was actually looking forward to it.

"Do you think she's gonna have the school call your parents?" Francine asked her.

Gwen didn't look the least bit worried. "Nah, last week I insulted her outfit in front of the class and nothing happened."

At the memory of that event, Francine laughed again. "I still can not believe you said that to her."

Gwen cringed. "Yeah, even I have to agree it was a bit overboard, but that time was an accident. My word vomit got the better of me." She quickly defended raising her hands a bit.

"When doesn't it?" Francine asked, jokingly.

"Haha." Gwen said with a smile as they continued walking through the school hallway.

The two best friends eventually separated when they went towards their lockers. Gwen's had been near the front of the school, so that's where she had to go. Once there she opened her locker and pulled out the textbook she was going to need for the weekend homework she was unfortunately assigned, and put them into her backpack. After zipping her backpack shut, Gwen closed her locker. As she adjusted her backpack over her shoulder a sudden male voice caught her attention.

"Gwen!"

Already feeling her cheeks turn pink and a smile work on her lips, Gwen turned towards where she heard this beautiful voice. She inwardly let out a heartfelt sigh when she saw him coming her way. She bet if she were in a cartoon her eyes would have turned into hearts from looking at him.

Chase Campbell.

The Tozier girl liked him. She's had a crush on Chase Campbell since he moved to Derry around when they had been in the fifth grade. Her crush blossomed from the moment he had been so kind enough to give her his lunch when she had forgotten to bring hers. She still remembered what that school lunch consisted of. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crust cut off and a bag of _Doritos_. And now a few years later, Gwen's crush on him still remained. Grew even. She had a couple of classes with him this year, but the one class that had them practically inseparable was English class. The reason being because they were assigned seats next to each other. They sat towards the back, so it was easier for them to chat without getting caught by their teacher Mr. Armstrong.

The same teacher who had recently introduced the play _Romeo and Juliet_ for them to read. Which was a play that Gwen didn't necessarily understand. She also didn't really like as well if she were being honest with herself. But maybe it was because she didn't understand the play that caused her to not like it.

What Gwen didn't understand was how one would be able to kill themselves after the one they _loved_ died. It just seemed a bit doltish that someone would end their life because of that. Why not keep going and make an honest living? Then again, Gwen's never been in love. Sure she's had crushes before, (Chase for example) but maybe one day she would know what love is for herself. Not that she wanted her love story to end like _Romeo and Juliet_ because the ending besides being a bit silly, was just depressing.

"I'm glad I was able to find you before you left." Chase said now that he was standing in front of her.

Gwen was right away awed by him. Since the fifth grade Chase had been getting more and more handsome. His blue eyes always blew her away. His brown hair that was a shade lighter than hers was perfectly quaffed, and his sense of style just added more to his cuteness.

"Oh, yeah?" Gwen asked her cheeks growing warmer and warmer. She was somewhat bemused as to why he wanted to find her before she left. Usually after school on Fridays he would go right to soccer practice. She knew this because sometimes her softball practices intertwined with the soccer practices and from the softball field she would see him with his teammates. But she didn't have softball practice today because their coach had called in sick. Soccer as far as she knew was still on. Unless it got cancelled last minute or there was also the possibility that he was going to arrive to practice a bit late because he was talking to her. Which just made her feel more giddy that he was talking to her even more.

Chase smiled and to the Tozier girl it appeared as if he was being bashful. "Yeah, I was hoping we could hang out tonight? Around seven?" He asked with aspiration.

Were her ears deceiving her? Gwen's eyes bugged out a bit. "Really?" He was actually asking her this? The boy she has had a crush on since the fifth grade wanted to hang out? _Huh?_ Was she dreaming? Or was she in the _Twilight Zone?_ Although they were friends, Chase ran in different social circles than her. He was more well-known and liked at school. He was popular...while she, Gwen Tozier wasn't. Not really anyways. She wasn't a social reject. She did participate in some school events and was on the girls softball team, but she was more known for her occasional word nonsense and her hyperactive tenancies.

"Yeah, if you want." Chase replied back, catching her attention. His blue eyes softening as the seconds passed by waiting for an answer.

Despite her initial confusion, Gwen was ecstatic. "Yes, of course!" She blurted out like a fool before she composed herself, keeping her hands still. "I mean, yes that would be _lovely_." She cringed at the last word she said.

Chase just found that to be adorable. "Okay, um, do you want to meet at the diner? We could eat and then catch a movie showing afterwards?"

Gwen already knew which diner he was talking about. It was the only diner the town of Derry had. She nodded her head as if he were asking her if she wanted a million dollars. However this question he was asking was ten times better. "That sounds great!"

"Alright. It's a date then." Chase replied feeling happy that she had accepted. "I'll meet you there at seven." He told her with a smile before he continued walking down the school hallway. She might have been imagining it, but it looked as if he had a certain spring in his step. She wanted to think it was because of the whole date thing, but that was a foolish thought.

 _Well, I am a foolish girl._

Gwen merrily thought to herself as she watched him leave. She leaned against her locker still in overall awe at what had just happened. She let out a squeal once he was far away from her, causing near by students to give her weird looks. But the Tozier girl payed no attention to this. She was too busy thinking about the date she was going to have tonight.

* * *

"But you promised we were gonna watch movies tonight."

Gwen sighed as she spared a glance at her bespectacled younger brother. She offered him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Richie. Change of plans." She simply said to him. The teenager then started focusing at what she had been doing before he came into her room. Picking out an outfit for tonight. Looking through her closet, she didn't notice the disappointed expression that her brother had on.

"This bites. What am I supposed to do now?" Richie asked feeling let down. All day he had been looking forward to watching movies at home with his older sister. Ever since she started high school, Gwen and him had been slowly growing apart. They barely spent any time together anymore. The teenager had been too focused with her school work, playing softball, and spending time with her friends. So when she had suggested they have a movie night the youngest Tozier accepted that suggestion within seconds. But now apparently there had been a change of plans and she no longer wanted to spend time with him. Which sucked.

Not really thinking about her reply, Gwen shrugged her shoulders."Watch them with mom and dad."

Richie scrunched up his face when he heard this, appalled by what she was recommending. "Yeah right. They'll probably complain the whole time about how I shouldn't be watching those types of movies."

Distracted with the ongoing search of which outfit she should wear, Gwen once again gave an inattentive response. "Well, maybe you shouldn't."

Richie huffed. "You watch them all the time."

"I'm older." Was all Gwen said to him.

"By like two years! That's hardly a _freakin_ difference." Richie retorted back. His mouth once again getting the better of him.

Hearing him use a swear word made Gwen stop her current movements. Now the word he used wasn't a vulgar one. If anything it was one of the most settled swear words Richie tended to use. But nonetheless it was a word that caught her sudden attention. She'd come to realize by now that her younger brother's foul language and loud mouth were basically the main reasons why he would get into so much trouble. At home Richie would get reprimanded by their parents, but it was at school where his foul mouth was not appreciated. Not by the teachers or by some of the other students.

Now Gwen couldn't harshly judge his tendencies to be way too talkative with people. If anything she related to him in that category. Like Francine had told her, she was just like him. Sometimes Gwen too would blurt out things without fully thinking them through. And the things that she would end up saying hurt other people's feelings. It was never intentional though. But it tended to happen. Unlike her younger brother, Gwen was better at keeping her brassy candid comments at bay _―_ even with her ADHD.

But her excitement and nervousness for tonight made Gwen give him another nonchalant response. And after a few seconds of looking at her brother, the sudden attention he had gotten from her ended.

"Well, watch them by yourself."

Gwen said to him before she once again returned to the task of looking for the perfect outfit.

Richie's demeanor faltered a bit. Yes, it was true he wanted to watch the horror movies they had rented. But he didn't want to watch them by himself. Everyone knows it was always better (and more fun) to have another person with you when watching scary movies. It also made you less frighten. But he didn't want his older sister to think he was a wuss who needed her in order to lessen his uneasiness. He had to be better than that. Braver too. Or at least appear to be. For right now anyways. He guessed that's why he gave her an nonchalant response, in no way hinting of the nerves he felt when thinking about watching those scary movies by himself.

"Where's the fun in that?"

After he said this, Richie was almost expecting her to call him out on his shitty lying, but that didn't happen. Gwen remained quiet and still kept her attention towards her clothing in her closet. Although he was glad that she was oblivious to his cover up, he still was annoyed and hurt that she hadn't even bothered to spare him a glance or utter a single word to him. If one were to have traveled two years back they would see how well they got along with each other. Not that they didn't now, but when comparing the present scene with the past one the differences of how they interacted can be clearly seen. He let out a huff before he started fixing up his voice. " _Gwen, Gwen, Gwen._.." He kept repeating her name over and over again in one of the many voice impressions he did. Specifically using the one voice that most annoyed her. It was one that sounded like _Daffy Duck._ Or at least to him it sounded like _Daffy Duck_ , to the Tozier girl it sounded like someone who had an annoying lisp.

Gwen rolled her eyes as she still faced her closet. She wasn't going to let that damn poor excuse of a _Daffy Duck_ voice impression of his get to her. Even if it did annoy her immensely. _He'll stop soon._ Gwen thought to herself. However, her thought proved to be wrong because he kept repeating her name...over and over again.

 _"Gwen, Gwen, Gwen..."_

Her name must have been repeated twenty times or so before she snapped.

 _Oh for the love of God..._

Exasperated, Gwen finally turned to look at him. "Look..." She started off saying but stopped to calm herself down. She didn't want to end up saying something mean to him. Because the last thing she wanted was to say something hurtful. Especially to her younger brother. She let in air before letting it out. Once she had better control of her emotions, she spoke. "If you stop pestering me, I promise I'll watch the movies tomorrow night with you."

That was an interesting offer but Richie was still unconvinced. "How do I know you won't go breaking your promise again?" He asked her trying to sound as serious as possible. Well as serious as he could be.

Something must have finally clicked within Gwen when looking at her young brother because the teen finally understood why he was pestering her. He just wanted to spend time with her. She felt really bad now. Guilty even for canceling their plans. She should have canceled her plans with Chase and instead stayed at home and watch scary movies with her younger brother, but the idea of actually hanging out with Chase over shadowed the guilty feelings of being an intensive older sister. Plus she could always watch the movies with Richie tomorrow, hence why she suggested that. However, it looked like Richie needed reassurance that she wouldn't cancel their movie plans this time. She smiled and stuck out of her pinkies, offering it to him. "Because I'm pinkie promising you this time." She said in a serious voice. "And you know I'm for real when I use the pinkie promise. That some serious shit." She laughed a little towards the end of her sentence. The usage of the word shit made her feel younger than she really was.

Seeing his older sister act much like she had a couple years back made Richie's eyes brighten up. He too was smiling. He happily accepted her pinkie with his. "Alright fine, I'll stop bugging you. But tomorrow night is movie night."

Gwen nodded her head before retracting her pinkie back. "Movie night all right. I'll even buy us some snacks."

This just seemed to please Richie more. "Licorice?"

Gwen laughed." "But of course! And popcorn. We can't have a scary movie night without licorice and popcorn."

"Okay." Richie said as he made his way out of her room. He was feeling much more happier than when he first set foot in there. Before exiting the room he glanced over his shoulder. "I hope you have fun with whatever you're doing with your friends tonight." He said a smile still on his face before finally leaving her eyesight.

Gwen was going to correct him by saying she wasn't hanging out with her friends, that instead she was actually going on a date, but for some reason she decided not to. She didn't exactly know why at first. Perhaps she was too bashful to admit that she was going on a date.

Gwen herself had never been on a date before. As embarrassing as that was, it was the truth. Hell, before today she had never even been asked out. The topic of dating had never been a popular one with her either. Well, for herself at least. She always listened to _other_ people talk about their love life _―_ her friends mainly. Francine had been on dates before and her blonde haired best friend would always tell her if they were duds or not. Often making her laugh or smile. So she herself had no idea how to bring up into conversation on how she got asked out. This was one of the rare times when Gwen had no idea what to say.

A lot of people would say that talking to her mother would have been the best option. But her mother Maggie was the overly excited type. The teen still remembered (much to her embarrassment) how her mother kept bragging to her friends _―_ mainly the ones who were in the same book club as her _―_ how her daughter had started her monthly cycle and how she was a woman now. That sort of proud feelings came from a good place from her mother, but that didn't make it less embarrassing for her. So she didn't want to tell her that she got asked out. Her mother would have probably squealed from excitement and would immediately call all her book club friends and tell them of her daughter's news. Much like when she had gotten her period. And Gwen did not want that happening. Not if she wanted to relive embarrassment again.

She also couldn't go looking for advice from her father Wentworth, more commonly addressed by friends and family members as "Went." He was the typical distant father, but despite the distance he probably had a hidden protective streak. One that all fathers had, especially when it came to the topic of boys. And it's not like she could have asked Richie. He was just a preteen. And he was a boy. And her brother. Which just added more to her bashfulness. What advice would he be able to offer her?

Luckily for Gwen she had her best friend Francine.

And despite not wanting to call her, (because of awkwardness and embarrassment) she mustered up courage after a few minutes of pacing around in her room. Plus it was evident by now that she needed major help, especially with what to wear. Because she had no flippin' clue with what she was doing and right about now all her of clothing in her closet looked too plain for a date.

Francine ended up picking her house phone on the second ring and much to Gwen's relief she didn't have to suffer through a blabbering mess in order for her blonde haired best friend to know she was desperate for her dating advice. Francine was shocked that she hadn't told her sooner about being asked out by one of the most handsome and popular boys at their school, but she eventually managed to push that surprise to the side and offered some helpful tips.

She recommend for her to curl her hair. That her dark hair would look nice in that style. She also said the best outfit for the date was the causal knee length red dress she had with her denim jacket over it and black flats. Her best friend also said that wearing heels on the first date was a no go. Francine spoke from personal experience. And it just made more sense to wear comfortable shoes since all she and Chase were going to do was eat at the diner and watch a movie afterwards. After all that advice, along with a few others, Gwen made sure to thank Francine for what seemed like the 20th time before she ended the call.

After the phone call was over, Gwen quickly hopped into the shower. Once she got out she did her hair and makeup the way Francine recommended for her to do. Also putting on the outfit she suggested as well. Just with the addition of the silver Turtle necklace she had as for jewelry wear.

For the life of her, Gwen couldn't remember where she had gotten that peculiar necklace or who gave it to her _―_ if it had been a present that is. It had always just been around. It was pretty and therefore the question behind the origin of the necklace was soon forgotten. It was put further into her mind once she saw what time it was. Gwen looked at the bathroom mirror one last time to make sure everything was in order. After doing so she quickly said a _"see you later"_ to her family before finally leaving her house and started making her way towards the diner.

However, the teenager made sure to take a different way where she wouldn't have see that _house_. The alternative was longer but it was totally worth the extra few minutes. Anything to avoid the house on 29 Neibolt Street. Gwen wasn't in the mood to deal with the heebie-jeebies. Especially now that it was night time. Besides, who the right minds would want to go anywhere near that house during night time?

That abandoned broken down house gave her the serious chills. Gwen wondered why the town didn't just demolish it already. All it really did was cause nightmares for kids and cause for hidden nerves within adults to arise.

Even though Gwen didn't know the history behind that creepy old house, she knew there was something wrong about it. It made goosebumps appear on her arms even now as she was nowhere near it. Which overall just added more to the reason on why people should ignore that damn house.

* * *

Derry's diner was a quaint little restaurant. It was a typical hangout place for people her and her brother's age. Normally around dinner time it was more of a scene for teenagers and adults. The younger kids were now hanging out somewhere else _―_ or mostly likely already inside their homes.

Given her age, Gwen was no stranger with the diner's setting. She hung out there a ton of times before. It was mostly with Francine, but sometimes they would come in a large group with like ten people or so and order a ton of food together. Splitting the receipt between that many people was actually very funny to witness. It created a lot of confusion and wonder with the staff there, but really it was just some harmless fun. They always fully payed their check. Tip included.

This time she would only need a table that would fit two people. In Gwen's mind a booth seating would be perfect. As she made her way through the diner to find the perfect table, the song _Voices Carry by 'Til Tuesday_ was playing throughout the restaurant. Gwen nodded her head to the song unable to help herself. Music always made the energy she had inside double up. Getting a hold of herself, she continued on with her search. It was the booth near the back of the diner that caught her interest. Delighted that it was unused and clean, she decided to sit there. Gwen sat on the right since the seat was facing the front of the diner. Making it easier for her to see when Chase arrived and therefore catching his attention would be too.

Sudden soft footsteps entered Gwen's ears and soon a soft sounding voice did too.

"Look at you. Oh my God, you look so pretty."

Gwen right away knew who this person was. Looking towards the direction the voice came from, she gave the person _―_ Rachel Peterson _―_ a smile. "Thanks." Rachel was older than her. She was a senior in high school. She had been working the past couple of years at the diner to save some money. The senior girl came from the more downside of Derry. And even though she had a scholarship for her future education after she graduated this year, she still needed money to help out with her home life. Despite her low income, Rachel was one the most nicest girl's Gwen has known. She was pretty too. Rachel lived close to Beverly Marsh, another girl who was in the same financial situation as Rachel. Only Beverly was a lot younger. She was the same age as Richie. But Gwen could already tell that even despite the hardships she faced, the young red haired girl was going to be just as pretty.

"What has you all dressed up?" Rachel asked with a friendly smile.

Gwen blushed but smiled anyways. "Oh, I'm meeting someone here."

Rachel's eyes gleamed. "A date?"

Sheepish and not wanting to notice her giddy like expression, Gwen lowered her face. "Yes." She whispered.

"Well, I hope everything goes well." Rachel told her. "I have to go take orders at the front but someone will be with you soon."

Gwen nodded her head and lifted her gaze. "Alright, thanks Rachel."

"No problem. Have fun." Rachel said with a smile before she went on her way.

A couple minutes later another waitress came by ready to take her order, but Gwen had asked her if it was okay to wait a little bit more since she was waiting for someone. The waitress understood and said she would come by when she was ready. Although the teen remained composed on the outside, inside she was freaking out. It was already pass seven o'clock and Chase had yet to show up. At first Gwen reasoned that she was over reacting. Maybe he had barely left his house and was making his way right now. He lived the furthest away from the diner. But then seven o'clock soon became seven thirty and that then soon turned into eight o'clock. Once it was eight thirty, Gwen had lost all the patience she had.

Not only did Gwen feel ridiculous that she had been waiting in that booth for that long, but she was severely feeling hurt right now. Her heart was crushed. Her stomach was also doing weird flips. Probably due to her distressed feelings she was having due to her being let down by her long time crush. Gwen tugged on her denim jacket and shifted her dress covered bottom.

 _He stood you up. He was never gonna show up in the first place. This was some joke to him. He's probably laughing at you right now with his soccer buddies._

With all these thoughts running in her mind, Gwen hurriedly got out of the booth. The possibility that all she was thinking could be true made her feel like a total loser. Gwen started to finally make her way towards the front to leave but the oncoming customers made her halt in her walking. Her heart beat picked up and not in a good way.

 _Oh crap._

Gwen thought as she saw the presence of three people she did not like.

It was Henry Bowers and two of his delinquent friends.

Gwen made herself as discreet as possible from where she was standing at. Knowing it wouldn't do her any good if they saw her. Sure she despised them, but she knew better than to get in their way. Henry's especially. The beatings he had given her brother and the rough teasing he did to her proved that. Now Gwen could handle the teasing done on her but she didn't like that Henry picked on Richie. Gwen certainly made that known when she confronted Henry. But as she knows now the whole _"in your face"_ confrontation hadn't been a very good idea. All that got Gwen was an _"accidental trip"_ from Henry. A trip that made her fall on her face hard enough to cause a nasty nose bleed.

So he was not a person you wanted to mess with. But as much hate he made grow in her, he also caused apprehension as well. Just getting a look at him made her alarms in her head go off. Except Gwen couldn't help but feel relief when she noticed that Patrick Hockstetter wasn't there with them. Sure Henry made her nerves grow but it was Patrick that _really_ troubled her.

Belch Huggins and Victor Criss not so much.

Belch because to her the over-sized teen was just an utter idiot who had no manners whatsoever. Victor...there was a more complicated reason on why she wasn't so put on edge by him. A reason she didn't liking over thinking about but strangely found herself doing every so often.

Now Gwen could understand why Belch hung out with someone as horrid as Henry Bowers _―_ actually now that she thought about it better she couldn't really understand. Maybe it was due to stupid loyalty. But it was Victor's addition to the group that really threw Gwen off. Now she didn't know Victor personally, and she didn't want to, but she was still severely confused as to why he hung around with Henry. Gwen hated to admit this, but out of all of them Victor was the most quick-witted and dare she say reasonable. Somewhat anyways. She'd seen some instances where he seemed rather reluctant to follow Henry's orders. Or when Henry was bothering her, Victor was withdrawn, not at all participating in the name calling. Now he didn't do anything to stop Henry's taunts, but he didn't partake in them. Although he had his faults, they weren't as bad as Henry's. So Gwen had no idea why Victor associated with Henry or the others like Belch and Patrick. No idea at all.

An unexpected thing happened next, Victor turned his steady gaze towards where Gwen was at. He right away caught sight of her and if Gwen was asked what kind of expression he had on when his eyes landed on her, she would have to say it was one of surprise. It wasn't an obvious expression but it was there alright. You just needed to study it thoroughly. Like Gwen was. The Tozier girl expected him to let Henry and Belch know of her presence, but adding more to her bemusement towards him, Victor didn't do that. Giving her one last glance, he averted his gaze from her. Instead catching Henry's and Belch's attention by pointing to a booth towards their right.

Once again Gwen was left in an muddled state by Victor. Was this an act of kindness or just a random act of " _whatever_ " to him? It couldn't be an act of " _whatever_ " though. Right? He _saw_ her and he didn't make it known.

 _Does it really matter right now?_ Gwen thought to herself. _Just get out before Henry and Belch spot you themselves._

Which was exactly what she was going to do. She didn't want to be here anymore. Hurt, nerves, confusion, and most of all rejection went through her the more she stayed here. She discreetly went over to where Rachel was at by the counter. The older teenager was fixing up receipts when she saw the Tozier girl.

"Hey, do you mind if I use the back exit door?" Gwen immediately asked her.

Rachel was confused at first. She was going to ask Gwen if her date went alright, but the look on her the young girl's face stopped her from doing so. She looked hurt but also rather nervous. Her brown eyes kept flickering towards the side and Rachel followed her gaze. It just took one quick look at Henry Bowers and his followers for Rachel to understand why Gwen was acting this way and why she wanted to use the back exit. The older teen nodded her head.

"Go right ahead."

Gwen gave her a grateful look before she made her ways towards the back door. Right as she opened the door and was about to step through the song _I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls_ began playing. Now normally the song would get her hyped up, but for some reason it didn't this time. Instead it made her feel severe bemusement. Once Gwen did step outside she felt a shiver go down her spine. A bone chilling shiver. Specific lyrics from the song replayed in her head as she made her way home.

 _And I ran_  
 _I ran so far away_  
 _I just ran_  
 _I ran all night and day_  
 _I couldn't get away_

Although Gwen chalked it up as nothing, she couldn't help but link the song back to Chase.

Especially the next day when Gwen found out the reason why Chase never showed up to the diner. The dreaded reason being that he had died sometime the night before when she had been waiting for him at the diner.

And it was that devastating news that was the first of many Gwen Tozier would soon hear in her life.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Okay, so I know I said the next update wouldn't be until September, but the new trailer that was recently released inspired me to write more. We got to see more of the Losers' Club and we got to see Pennywise. ^.^ *Eeeep* I gotta say it just made me even more excited to see the movie! So here's a short second part for the prologue. It's still taking place before the main events that happen in the movie, but I hope you guys still like it! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, even if was full with angst, and you'll guys will see why towards the end...anyways enjoy!_

 ** _P.S._** _There is talk about self-harm and suicide. If that bothers you, I'm sorry. It stirred up some hard emotions within me, especially since I was listening to the **13 Reasons Why** original score and the **Life is Strange** soundtrack. It just made everything more intense._

* * *

 _"Just remember," he told her. "If you run from me, I will pursue."_ _― Nenia Campbell, Fearscape_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2: The first scare_**

Depression for Gwen had always been a complex feeling to fully grasp.

At least it _used_ to be.

She did know the feeling of sadness, even before Chase's death. After all it was only natural for a person to get sad from time to time. Life was full with gloomy moments, especially when you're young and in your adolescent phase. There were plenty of times when she'd been sad, but never had she been _depressed_. As in full on wouldn't eat, locked away in her room for hours, not really wanting to talk to anyone, type of depressed.

The reason being was because nothing too horrific had happened in her life to make her feel that way.

Not until Chase's unexpected death.

Once she heard the devastating news of his passing, the delayed train of overwhelming feelings hit her hard. What made things even worse was that Chase's death was ruled as a suicide.

The person who ended up finding his body early on the next day saw how both of Chase's wrists were slashed wide open. Now one might have looked passed the thought that maybe this wasn't what it appeared to be at first glance, but the piece of shard glass found close to his lifeless body covered in his blood gave the final proof that it was indeed a suicide. The police didn't help get rid of this thought, since the final report said that he ultimately died of blood loss due to self-harm.

Gwen right away did _not_ agree with this.

The way Chase died just didn't make sense to her.

A feeling within her was telling her that something was seriously off.

The Chase she knew _―_ the Chase she had strong feelings for―was not suicidal. He never showed any signs indicating he was contemplating ending his life. To her he was filled with so much life and she knew that he had lots to live for. He had a family that loved him and a bunch of friends at school. He was classified as a golden boy in the town of Derry, who was liked by almost everyone.

So why did he decide to suddenly end his life? And on the night they were supposed to have their first date?

It was questions like these that forever haunted Gwen's thoughts, and it wouldn't be until the following year, when the chaos began, that she would discover the _real_ reason for what caused Chase's death.

Until that day of revelation, Gwen would be left in an emotional impaired and broken-hearted state.

For although she had doubts about Chase committing suicide, the fact remained that he was no longer alive.

He was gone...

And that impacted her dearly. It was too much to deal with, let alone to talk about.

Gwen almost didn't even go to his funeral because of that. Just being in the same room with his lifeless body made her heart ache and it made her want to cry hysterically.

But at the last minute, she found the strength to go.

Gwen didn't like to think about the funeral service. All she could say was that a lot of people showed up offering their condolences. For Chase's family of course. None of them knew how close she was to Chase. Well, except for Francine. But everyone else that was there just thought she was another one of his classmates. They didn't know she was the girl who harbored strong feelings for him. That she and him were supposed to meet up the night he died. It wasn't until after the service that she finally told this to Chase's family. In a way she hoped this would end the nonsense about Chase's death being a suicide, but sadly her piece of information didn't make much of a difference. Chase's death was still ruled as a suicide.

The only difference now was that her family knew why she had been so down in the dumps. Why she spent so much time in her room, alone and crying. Why she no longer hung out with her friends from school. Except for Francine, but that was only because her blonde haired friend was not an easily ignored person. She made it her personal mission to get her out of the house every once in a while. But for the following weeks, Gwen was emotionally distant from her family.

The Tozier girl felt awful for doing this, especially with how she'd been treating Richie. Out of everyone, she had been ignoring her younger brother the most. It was silly thing, but she felt guilty for breaking the pinkie promise she made about having a horror movie night with him. Richie never complained about this though, but Gwen knew he was let down. The main thing that made her feel like a terrible person was the distress she was causing him due to how she had been acting lately. She was cold, distant, and overall just not her normal talkative self. But how could she be herself? With her emotions all over the place, Gwen couldn't find a way to sit down and explain to him what the hell was going on with her. In fact, she didn't talk to anyone about Chase. Not really anyways. Not to her parents, or even to her best friend Francine. It just seemed impossible to do so now. Just thinking about discussing Chase's death was too much for her.

The emotional struggles she dealt with at home were one thing, but school struggles were a whole other story.

Now the school had set up a small memorial area for Chase, close to his locker, and although it was meant to be a nice gesture, for Gwen it was just a reminder of how Chase was dead and no longer alive. She should have gone a different way when heading to her next class, but she didn't. When the bell rang, she walked the same hallway Chase would have taken to get to their English class. The hallway that now held his memorial area, and when Gwen got close, she couldn't help but stop her walking to stare at it.

Although pained by his departed memory, Gwen had to admit it was a beautiful memorial. The students at the school had a picture of him and different types of flowers and cards surrounded the small area. Proof that Chase was indeed liked by the students and even the faculty members.

Gwen wanted to remain strong but she couldn't. She felt tears start to form in her eyes, and seconds later they were going down her cheeks. The sounds of oncoming footsteps had her panicking. Even more so when they stopped near her. The hallways had been empty, she would have figured no one would have seen her have another one of her emotional moments. But apparently she had been wrong. Composing herself she turned to face where the footsteps had stopped. She immediately frowned when she saw who was standing not so far away from her.

 _Victor Criss._

Although Gwen was not happy not see him, she was relieved that he was alone and not with his imbecile friends. If they had all been here seeing her cry they sure would have had a laugh. But it was just Victor and he certainly wasn't looking at her with any form of malice or amusement. He was just silently staring, taking in her crying form. This had Gwen on defense. "What?" She muttered as she hurriedly wiped her tears away.

Victor continued to silently stare at her for a few more seconds, before shaking his head. "Nothing. It's just..." he drawled on unable to find the _right_ words to say to her. Truth be told he felt somewhat awkward that he was actually talking to her. Not that he would ever admit that out-loud _―_ especially to her.

"What? You've never seen a girl cry before?" Gwen blurted out.

Victor gained his own composure once he heard this. He rolled his eyes, but it was done half hearted. "Of course I've seen a girl cry before. Who do you think you're talking to?" After saying that to her his tone of voice turned into one of slight bewilderment. "It's just, I didn't know you and him were a thing."

"We weren't." Gwen quickly said, her voice wavering a bit with emotion. "We were just friends." _But we could have been_ _more_...

Victor took in her words. He analyzed her outer form carefully and through that he was able to figure out that there was more to her answer. "You guys were close friends." He ended up earnestly saying instead of asking her.

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. "What does that even matter to you?" She asked him.

Victor made sure to give her a unreadable expression. "It doesn't." He replied trying to sound indifferent.

Gwen however wasn't buying it. She might have not liked Victor, but for some odd reason, just in this rare moment her dislike for him was disregarded. Her gaze on him became profound. "It sure seems like it does." She softly told him.

Sensing that their conversation was taking a rather sentimental turn, Victor, not wanting her to see his _true_ feelings, decided to dive back to his bully type demeanor. "Well you're wrong, _Tozier_." He said, making sure to emphasize her last name with a tone of voice that indicated aversion.

And just like that things between the two teenagers went back to normal.

Gwen felt foolish that she lessened her dislike towards him. She had to remind herself that he was Victor Criss, one of Henry Bowers' accomplices. He happily partook in the bullying done on her younger brother, but strangely never joined the teasing done on her. She wanted to full on hate him, but hate didn't come so easily like it did with Henry. If anything Victor Criss just confused her. She narrowed her eyes on him. "What are you even doing here then?" She asked him.

Victor remained cool at her question. "I was just making my way to class." He easily explained. "This is the school hallway after all."

Gwen just mildly shook her head. Deciding it was time to end this unexpected encounter, with Victor Criss of all people, she turned to leave.

"By the way, I'd avoid going through the north hall after school." Victor suddenly said catching her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to look at him. He was giving her a what she guessed was a serious look. " _We're_ gonna be hanging there."

The Tozier girl automatically knew what he meant by _we're_. It was a forewarning of some sorts to her. Yet again, she was thrown into loops by Victor. The same exact feeling she got when he saw her at the diner and said nothing to Henry or Belch about her presence, returned. He was actually helping her out. But _why_? She frowned as she continued to look at him. "I don't understand you." She blurted without even thinking.

Victor gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

Gwen blanched. She quickly averted her gaze away from him. "Nothing. Never mind." She muttered, as she now faced forward again.

And without another word or looking at each other again, they both parted ways.

* * *

Gwen took Victor's warning and made sure to avoid the north hall after school.

She took a different way to head towards the field. She ended up going to softball practice but only because Francine was there to make her go. If it weren't for her, Gwen would have missed another practice. And mostly likely if she had skipped again, the coach would have probably benched her for the rest of the season. So she was grateful for Francine.

Practice ran a bit longer today, due to Gwen trying to catch up on the plays she had missed. Once practice ended it was starting to hit the late after noon mark. Politely declining a ride back home from Francine, Gwen decided to walk home. When not locked away in her room, Gwen had been taking long walks throughout town. For some reason this calmed her down. Lessened her own distress. Usually when softball practice was over she took a short cut to get home, but today she decided against the short cut. She chose to take the longer way because it allowed her to pass by Chase's house.

Well, old house.

After the funeral, Chase's family quickly made plans to move from Derry. They no longer wanted to live in the town where their son committed suicide. Not that Gwen blamed them, but that just meant whatever was left of Chase's stuff was now gone. She knew it wouldn't do her any good to pass by his old house. It would have just made her emotional, like his memorial at school, but yet here she was gazing at his now empty house.

Although now empty, the house still had charm. It was a two story middle class type of house, and it was blue.

 _Blue..._ Gwen thought to herself as she continued to stare at the house. _Blue is such a nice color. Chase's eyes were blue...and they were so lovely._

"Gwen?"

A young male voice broke her thoughts. Gwen right away knew who this voice belonged to.

"Stan?" She asked as she turned to her side, and right away did she see him.

Stanley Uris _,_ or as Richie liked to jokingly call him, Stan the Man _,_ stood a few feet away from her. Personally Gwen liked calling him by his abbreviated name. Which was just Stan. Now she knew Stan because he was one of Richie's closest friends. Although she herself liked to consider the curly haired Jewish boy a friend as well, given the sisterly fondness she had for him. Except since they had a bit of an age difference between them, they weren't exactly close friends, but she couldn't deny that they had some form of friendship going on. She liked how mature and level headed he was for his age. He was the complete opposite of her brother Richie, and that made her wonder how they were such great friends. Whatever the reason, she was glad for their friendship.

Stan felt his heart start to race when she turned to look at him. "Hi." He sheepishly said to the older girl.

Gwen managed to give him an honest smile. "Hey." She wasn't really surprised to see him. He did after all live on this street. He must have seen her from his place.

Her smile got to him but that was just a given because it always did. This time it got to him more because it had been a while since Stan had actually seen her smile. As of late she had been feeling pretty down. So seeing her look happy started to make his face warm up. He felt foolish that he was acting like this. He figured that his crush on her would have gone away by now, but it hadn't. If anything it just grew. She was still the girl he harbored a secret crush on and because of that he felt ridiculous. He was glad no one knew of his crush on her. Well, no one except for Richie. But that was only because Richie figured it out on his own. Although he was known for his flippant ways, Richie wasn't a complete fool. And Stan himself wasn't as discreet as he wanted to be whenever he was around Gwen. So Richie was able to paste things together. Since then, Stan had been more careful on hiding his feelings for her. He still remembered what Richie had said when he first figured it out. He made a face and shook his whole body as if he had bugs crawling all over him. _"I can't believe you like my sister. Come on man? She's my sister. Blah..."_

Although Richie was trying to make the conversation less serious and awkward, Stan didn't think his facetious attitude was helping. If anything it just made him even more embarrassed about how he knew of his crush on his older sister. Luckily for him, Richie didn't tell Gwen about his crush on her. His bespectacled best friend only teased him whenever they were alone.

As he gazed at her Stan saw how she was wearing an outfit indicating she had just finished softball practice. Still, he decided to ask her. "What are you doing?"

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Just passing through."

Stan tilted his head a bit. "But you usually take a different street home."

This surprisingly made Gwen release a low laugh. "Very observant, Stan." She said making the young boy blush, but it went unnoticed by her. She was too busy looking at the now empty blue house. "Decided to take the long way today." She said, now sounding serious.

Her change of voice and the way she staring the house in front of her made a light bulb go off in Stan's head. "He was nice." He softly said catching her attention. Once she was looking at him, he continued to speak. "Whenever I talked to him, he never seemed annoyed with the topics I brought up. With my bird book collection and all."

Gwen face lit up with even more nostalgia. "Yeah, he was nice." She softly said.

There was a moment of silence between them but it wasn't awkward or anything. It was peaceful.

"You should probably continue making your way home." Stan said, being the first to break the silence. His voice turning a bit more on the serious and worried side. "It's getting dark." He said as he gazed up towards the sky.

Gwen found the way he sounded worried about her well-being to be adorable. He was acting more like a concerned parent than a young kid. "Alright." She said as started walking down the street. She made sure to glance over her shoulder one last time. "Catch you on the flip side, Stan." She said before turning to face forward again.

With a blush on his cheeks, Stan bid her a farewell as well.

* * *

It was full on night time now, and the Tozier girl was still making her way home. She would have gotten home an hour ago, but after leaving Chase's house and her conversation with Stan, she stupidly decided to stop for ice cream. Although as she knows now, that wasn't such a good idea considering the ice cream place was even further away from her home, and the only way back was to go through the long way.

 _Shit, maybe stopping by for ice cream wasn't such a good idea._

Normally, Gwen wouldn't mind walking home at night but for some reason she was getting the serious chills right now. And it wasn't because it was cold. Something just didn't feel right.

The neighborhood she was walking through was eerily quiet and completely empty. Some of the street lamps above her weren't working and the ones that were kept flickering on and off. This only unnerved her more. She quickened her pace, inwardly telling herself to remain calm.

 _It's okay. Just five more minutes of walking and then you'll be at home._

Gwen jumped and gasped when the street light above her went off as did the right and left side. It was completely dark from where she was standing at and she could not see what was to the right or left side of her. She once again tried to remain calm, but her thoughts brought her no comfort.

Having enough of this, Gwen decided to cross the street to where there was somewhat lighting, but just as she was about to do so, a shiver went down her spine. Something told her to look in the dark, and against her wishes, that's what she did. At first she couldn't necessarily say what it was, just that in the dark she was able to see something...red...and that it was coming her way. It wasn't until a few more seconds of staring that she realized it was a red balloon. It was a red balloon and it was slowly floating towards her.

Gwen should have ran, ran far away while she had the chance, but for some reason she didn't. She was in some sort of trance state as she stared at that red balloon. It captured her absolute attention but she wanted more than anything to look away from it. But something subconsciously wasn't letting her. Her breathing was getting heavier and once the balloon was in front of her, her stomach was doing the same weird flips it did when she had been at the diner.

Something wasn't right...

Gwen could feel that something was about to happen...

No sooner when she thought this the red balloon in front suddenly popped, making her let out a scream.

Gwen for sure thought that her unexpected scream would have drawled attention, but nobody came out of their houses to investigate. This deeply unnerved her, but not as much as what happened next.

 _"Gwen..."_

The shiver _,_ or should she say _shivers,_ returned making her panic. Had someone actually called her name from the dark? If so, who? As far as she could tell she was the only person here. She tried convincing herself that it was her mind playing tricks on her. That the strange red balloon was the cause of this. Nobody had called out her name. It just wasn't possible.

 _"Gwen.."_

Gwen's dark eyes widened when she heard her name being called out again. This time no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she couldn't. Someone had called her name. Someone who was hiding in the dark. Whoever this was, she did _not_ recognize their voice. They sounded childish but at the same time they didn't. It's weird but in a creepy way the voice almost didn't sound human.

This was indeed a fear inducing situation, but for some reason, out of nowhere, she decided to reach for the Turtle necklace she was wearing. Touching it immediately made her heart beat go back to normal. It soothed her. As soon as she started to feel less scared a sudden popping sound coming from right next to her. This caused her to jump a little from surprise. By now, Gwen had got a better handle of herself and this allowed her to gain the mental strength she needed to finally run away.

Gwen didn't stop running until she made it inside her house. Glad that none of her family members were there to witness her ruffled up state, she slid down her front door, taking in and letting out air. Although she was now safely inside her house a disturbing thought lingered in her mind. Which was that she could have sworn she heard laughter coming from behind her the whole time she was running.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** I told myself I wasn't going to write another chapter, but I saw a poster for the movie and it showed Richie with a baseball bat and it immediately made me think of Gwen because her character plays softball. I was like OMG that fits perfectly with the story! Gah! Anyways, this chapter focuses more on Richie. I hope you guys like it. Some of the concepts of Richie's issues, I grabbed from the novel, because I remember when reading the novel that Richie's life wasn't as traumatic or horrible as the others, but he was heavily misunderstood by his parents, mainly by his mother. Neither one of them though listened to what he had to say. I tried my best making that clear in this chapter. As well as the brother-sister problems Gwen and Richie are going through at the moment._

* * *

 _"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply"_ _― Jane Austen_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: Brother and Sister_**

Richie Tozier was not a serious person. Anyone who knew him or who even lived in the small town of Derry was well aware of that. Except there was only one thing he was ever really serious about and that was his older sister's well-being.

He was seriously concerned about Gwen. She had been acting different. She was not herself. Not at all.

For some time now all she had been doing was locking herself in her room. Not wanting to spend time with him or their parents. The only person who got her to leave the house, other than for school, was her best friend, Francine.

Now Richie knew why Gwen was being this way. She had lost someone very close to her...a friend. And it had been in a terrible way. Although Richie found it more disturbing than terrible, but either way Gwen was affected by this tragedy pretty bad.

The teen was no longer that word bubbly person she used to be. She'd barely even really spoken that much to him. In all honesty, it kind of felt like she had been ignoring him. And that hurt Richie. He didn't want no more space between his sister and him. There was already enough. More space would just mean they would grow further apart.

He tried telling his parents about his concern for Gwen, but that didn't go so well as he remembered...

 _"But mom, she's been locked up in her room." Richie yet again pestered to his mother._

 _Maggie Tozier threw her son a look. "She's grieving Richie. Leave her be."_

 _"But she's by herself..."_

 _"That's what she wants. Now enough with the questions. Eat your breakfast. God knows I didn't work hard on it for it to just get cold."_

 _"Best not to argue with her son." Wentworth told his son casually. "You know how she is." He gave him a side glance before he once again focused on the newspaper he was reading. The one he currently found more interesting than his son._

 _Richie mumbled a witty response before he finally started eating his food._

The sad thing was that wasn't the only time his parents didn't listen to him. Out of the two of them, his mother was the least responsive to him. As he knows now, she had never really understood him. He recalled a time when he had eavesdropped a conversation between his mother and father, with his mother saying...

 _"I just don't get it, Wentworth. Gwen has the same problem, but she's more controlling with her behavior. Why can't Richie be the same way? I just don't understand him the way I understand Gwen."_

There was humor is that sentence though, and that was their mother didn't understand Gwen either. She liked to believe she did, but Richie knew the truth. Gwen was as misunderstood as he was by their own mother. It just that Maggie preferred to think otherwise when it came to her daughter. To an outsider a mother not understanding her own son would be viewed as normal, but a mother not understanding her daughter...well that would be viewed negatively.

To Richie it was ridiculous, but he still found himself jealous of his sister at times. Mainly because she was understood by their parents...or at least they'd pretend they understood her. With him they didn't. The least they could do was try...but they didn't.

Jealous or not, Richie was still trying to do his best to get through his older sister.

Hence why he stood in front of her bedroom door. He was about to leave for school, but before he did so, he wanted to check up on Gwen. The possibility of walking to school together like they used to made him active. More so because he really wanted to talk to her.

Richie softly knocked on her door. "Gwen?" He called out.

"Go away, Richie." Came a halfhearted muffled response. In all honesty it sounded like she had been crying again. This made him knock again.

"Come on, Gwen." When there was no answer he decided to take the light hearted approach. "Pretty please?" He asked doing the best girlie voice he could do. When silence continued to linger he became more serious. "Gwen...please, I just want to talk to you."

A unexpected hard kick to the door made Richie back away with wide eyes.

"I said go away! Leave me the hell alone!"

Richie let out a defeated sigh. He gave her bedroom door one last lingering look before he started walking away.

And once again, for what seemed like the hundredth time, Richie wished things between his sister and him were how they used to be. Back to a time when she and him were close and weren't the strangers they were now.

* * *

"My mom thinks I'm overreacting, but I don't know. Gwen's been so different lately. And I get it...she lost someone, but her sadness has taken a new level. I don't like it." Richie confessed to his close friend, Stan the Man. They had just ended school and where now walking homes. He fixed his glasses, letting out a sigh. "I want to help, but she won't even let me talk to her."

Stanley Uris didn't like hearing how his long time crush was suffering. He especially didn't like how dispirited Richie sounded. His friend, who rarely ever appeared to be in a serious mood. But as he knows for himself, when it came to his sister, Richie was serious as ever. Stan was as well. "I know what you mean." He mumbled, doleful. A few seconds passed before he spoke again. This time his voice perked up a bit. "I saw her the other day though and she seemed a bit better."

This new information certainly caught Richie's attention. Behind his glasses, his dark eyes narrowed at Stan. "You talked to her? When?" He vehemently questioned. Why hadn't he told him this sooner?

"The other day." Stan simply informed him. He was not at all bothered by how fervent Richie was being with him. He might not always how like he acted at times, but by now the curly haired boy was used to his bespectacled friend's behavior. "She stopped by Chase's house." He finished explaining to him. His heart ached when he remembered how crestfallen Gwen looked when staring at the now empty blue house.

"Oh." Richie uttered.

Stan became sheepish. He glanced at his shoes. "She really liked him, huh?"

Richie nodded his head. "Yeah...she did. I once read her diary and based on what she wrote I think if she gotten more time with him she might have even fallen in love." He failed to realize who he was saying this to. Once his brain caught up with what he said, his eyes widen. He looked over to his friend. "Shit, sorry, Stan." He sheepishly apologized. Although he liked to tease Stan about his crush on his sister, he knew there were limits to his teasing. What he said before wasn't for amusement, but he still wanted to apologize.

The urge to reprimand Richie for invading Gwen's privacy was strong, but Stan didn't act on it. Instead he was quiet, thoughtful. He ended up shrugging one of his shoulders. "It's okay..." He murmured. Although inside he couldn't deny feeling dejected. "It's terrible about what happened to him." He softly said. And he truly believed that. What had happened to Chase Campbell was terrible.

There was silence before Richie broke it with a thought provoking question.

"Do you really think he did it?"

Stan frowned. "What?"

Richie threw him an earnest expression. "Killed himself." He elaborated.

Stan came to a stop, as did Richie. He looked at his friend oddly. "What kind of question is that? Do you really think he did it? Richie, the police said he cut his wrists. It was suicide."

Richie shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense to me and I know it doesn't to Gwen either."

"Your sister is grieving." Stan explained like the logical person he was. "When a person grieves it's normal for them to start making up excuses as to why a person died. Especially if they were close. It's supposed to help them feel better about the person's passing."

Richie rolled his eyes. He did not like this reasoning at all. "God, you sound like my mother."

"It's an understandable reasoning!" Stan argued.

"Understandable." Richie scoffed. He hated that word. "Understandable my ass. Nothing is understandable anymore."

Stan became puzzled by his reply. "What do you mean?"

"Look at what we have here."

If there was ever a time Richie wanted to runaway like _Road Runner_ , it would be now. But he knew he couldn't do that.

First, because although he considered himself a fast runner, he knew his chances of escaping Henry's wrath right now was slim to none. Especially because of how close he was to him. He's out ran him before, but luck had been on his side during those times. Right now he had a feeling luck wasn't leaning towards him today. And second, because he was with Stan the Man. Stan wasn't much of a runner, and Richie wasn't about to leave behind his friend. Not with Henry. They had to stick together.

Both boys watched unnerved as the familiar group of older boys that bothered them came their way.

Henry Bowers, Belch Huggins, and Victor Criss.

Although the situation wasn't looking good, both younger boys were mildly relieved when they didn't see Patrick Hockstetter with them.

Stan took notice how Henry was in the front. As always. He was the leader after all. He ran the shots. Stan discreetly looked around the neighborhood hoping to see someone. Anyone really. But there was no one. Something deep within him told that even if there was someone, that they wouldn't have helped.

As horrible as it was to admit they were on their own.

Henry smirked once he was in front of them, blocking their way. Stan had his eyes lowered, clearly scared, but Henry was quick to zero in on Richie. The Tozier boy was trying his hardest to not show any ounce of fear in his eyes. Henry wasn't liking that. If he wasn't going to show fear, he wanted to cause another reaction out of him, and he knew exactly how. "Hey Four-Eyes, where's that sister of yours?"

"Don't talk about my sister, Bowers." Richie grumbled.

Henry continued to agitate him. "Just asking. I only ever really see her with that blonde bitch, Francine. It makes me wonder..."

"What?" Richie asked narrowing his eyes.

Henry sneered. "About the rumors about her. You know? That she's a muff-muncher."

That got a reaction out of the youngest Tozier. "Shut your mouth, you mullet wearing asshole!" Richie immediately retorted back to him. He was livid. Nobody messed with his sister. Nobody. What he said about Gwen's sexual orientation wasn't what was really bothering him. His sister could be straight or gay and he'd be fine with it. What he wasn't fine with was Henry slandering his sister by using a derogatory term for describing her.

Stan felt the same and he was as equally as angry _―_ perhaps even more. He managed to lift up his gaze to throw Henry a glare. "Don't say that about her!" He shouted to him. His crush on the Tozier girl made him momentarily lose his composure. All he wanted to do now was defend her as Richie was doing.

"Would you believe this, Belch and Vic? Four-Eyes and the Jew are actually coming to Gwen's defense." Henry said chuckling darkly. Belch laughed along with him, while Victor remained quiet. Richie noticed this and narrowed his eyes at him. Victor made sure his expression didn't give away anything as Henry continued his taunting. "Ain't she a lucky girl to have two lame losers like them to have her back."

Richie moved his heated gaze onto Henry. "Eat shit, Bowers!" He shouted unexpectedly. The longer Henry talked the more unpredictable his responses were getting due to his anger.

Henry did not like that insult. His glare intensified. "What did you say to me?" He gave him a warning look. "You better think long and hard before you answer back, Tozier." He narrowed his eyes at him. "Now what did you say to me?"

Richie did not back down. He kept his stance. "I said, eat shit! What, are you too dense to comprehend?" He retorted. A grin then appeared on his face. "Then again, maybe you are. You did get held back once. Are you trying for a second time? _Dumbo_."

Beside him, Stan was beginning to feel more on edge. He himself didn't like Henry, and would defend Gwen till the end, but Richie was taking this confrontation with Henry way too far. Something bad was going to happen. He felt it. A knowing feeling of some sorts.

"You just don't know when to stop do you, Tozier?" Henry furiously questioned.

"Speak for yourself." Richie fired back to him. He was full of attitude.

Not even ten seconds passed when he made that comment, that Henry's fist connected with Richie's jaw. The hit made the bespectacled boy fall to the ground harshly. His glasses fell off his face, sliding across the ground. They came to a stop right near Victor's feet.

Stan made a move to get them but Henry threw Belch a pointed look, and that was all the teen needed to know what he had to do. Stan was immediately pushed to the ground as well by the massive teen. Unlike Richie, Stan didn't get punched but he landed pretty bad on his left shoulder. He let out a painful groan. Richie was quiet but he grimaced as he lifted up his gaze. He had to really narrow his eyes in order to see his friend was on the ground and to find his glasses. He inwardly panicked when he saw who was near them.

"Don't just stand there, Vic. Step on Trashmouth's glasses!" Henry ordered.

Without his glasses, Richie's eyesight wasn't the greatest but he could have sworn he had seen some type of reluctance pass through Victor's face. But any thought of that went out the window with what proceeded.

Doing as he was told, Victor stepped on the glasses.

Richie groaned. That was the last thing he wanted to happen. He didn't want to tell his parents his glasses got broken...again. They hated paying for new ones.

Henry took in his displeasure. He laughed as he bent down to look at him. He saw how his punch left a good mark on his face. This just made him laugh even more. "Say hello to your sister for me." He then spit, but Richie was glad it landed next to him rather than on his face. Henry then began walking away, leaving them behind on the ground. As he passed them, Belch gave a loud burp. Stan was disgusted by this as was Richie. Victor on the other hand was quiet and was doing his best to not look at either of them as he passed by.

Richie made sure to throw him a glare. He was the one who broke his glasses. It wasn't after they were far away, that Stan slowly stood up. He looked at Richie. "You okay?" He asked his friend worriedly. He was rubbing his left shoulder. It hurt but it didn't feel broken or dislocated. That was a good sign.

Richie stood up as well. He then touched his face. He grimaced when his hand touched the soreness that the punch had left on his jaw. He gave Stan a earnest look. "No, but I will be." He frowned when he once again saw his broken glasses on the floor. He already knew his parents wouldn't believe him when he would tell them the reason on how they got broken. They wouldn't believe him because they never did. He gingerly picked them up. He then glanced at Stan again.

"Are you okay?"

Stan gave him a smile, but even without his glasses, Richie knew it wasn't a real one. How could it be real after what happened?

"No, but I will be." He repeated what he had said to him.

That was enough of an answer for Richie. He put the broken pieces of his glasses inside his jean pockets.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

And they did.

Never once did they look back.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Do I really need to explain as to why I decided to write another chapter? ***Hehe*** The movie is coming out soon and they have been releasing more and more teasers and trailers. It's making me more excited and giving more inspiration. So here's another quick chapter. This is however the last c_ _hapter I will write. I won't update again until I see the movie. Good news is it's almost September so you guys won't have to wait so long. (: Anyways, enjoy this new chapter!_

 _ **P.S.** I also do not own the music or band mentioned in this chapter. Though I do recommend to you listen to it while reading this chapter. Band's from the 80's are never to be ignored. :D_

* * *

 _"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost."_ _― Martha Graham_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4: A new outlet**_

 _Why is the bedroom so cold?_  
 _You've turned away on your side_  
 _Is my timing that flawed?_  
 _Our respect runs so dry_  
 _Yet there's still this appeal  
That we've kept through our lives_  
 _But love, love will tear us apart again  
Love, love will tear_ _―_

No longer being able to handle the emotions that the _Joy Division_ song was giving her so early in the morning, Gwen quickly slammed her hand down on her alarm clock. Immediately the song stopped playing. Unfortunately her heart still ached tremendously. Gwen cursed herself for making her alarm clock connect with the radio. In her defense she had no idea that one of the songs that belonged to the band that Chase liked was going to be played. The Tozier girl used to like the song, _Love Will Tear Us Apart_ by _Joy Division_. Not anymore though. Not since Chase died. Now it was just crummy luck the radio played that song to wake her up that morning.

Gwen already had a feeling within herself saying that said it was going to be another grueling day for her.

She knew better than to stay in bed and wallow (although deep down that's all she really wanted to do). The teen felt if she kept doing that she would forever be in a pit of despair. Gwen needed to at least make an effort and get up. So that's what she did. She got up, brushed her teeth, took a quick shower, got dressed for school, and then went downstairs for breakfast. The Tozier girl wasn't at all surprised when she saw her mother being busy with the kitchen stove. Maggie Tozier tended to wake up extra early everyday to make breakfast for everybody.

Gwen made her presence known with a soft cough. Her mother gave her usual _"Hello, how are you?"_ before going back to making breakfast. Gwen, who wasn't in the best of moods (but when was she ever in a good mood nowadays?) just gave her a simple, _"Alright."_

Although she didn't outright show it, Maggie was bothered by Gwen's lack of energy. Her daughter used to always be so bubbly and cheery in the mornings. Now she appeared like a zombie. Yes, Maggie respected and let her have her time to grieve that poor boy's death. She had even disregarded Richie's worry for her, but that was only because she wanted to be the one who help her daughter get out of this funk she was in. It was her job as a mother to do so, not her youngest son. What did he know about healing? All Richie did was get into trouble. Oh how she wished Richie could have been more like Gwen...or at least like the old her. Well, Maggie Tozier was going to help lead her daughter into the right direction. Whether she liked it or not. Maggie was slightly startled when she heard her daughter speak. Her voice loud and clear instead of low and out of energy.

"Where's dad and Richie?" Gwen asked noticing their absences. She had already taken a seat by the table and was looking around the kitchen in bemusement. Her dad and Richie's would have been down here by now merrily eating away at their food.

Maggie turned to look at her daughter. She frowned when she saw the outfit she was in. Yes, Gwen was dressed for school, but Maggie wished she was more stylish with her choice of clothes. She was a girl after all. She should have worn girl fitted clothes for a female. Unfortunately for her, Gwen was a tomboy. Yes, her daughter did own dresses and skirts, but for the most part she preferred to wear jeans and t-shirts. Except Maggie noticed that ever since Chase Campbell's death, her daughter had been less picky about her outfits.

Which just made Maggie think that Gwen didn't care about what others thought of her appearance. Well, she might have not cared but Maggie sure did. But she wasn't going to push that argument right now with her daughter. Maggie was just glad Gwen was making an effort to be social right now. It would soon help with what she needed to tell her. Focusing back to her question, Maggie waved her hand.

"They went to the auto shop. Your father needed a tire change. Richie tagged along because they were going to go to the pharmacy afterwards. He needed to also buy him a new pair of glasses before dropping him off at school." The older woman shook her head clearly displeased. "Your brother is reckless, I swear." An even more disdained expression graced her face as she talked about her youngest child. "The roughhousing with his friends needs to stop. He comes home with a bruise on his face and tells us he broke his glasses too. Just what does he think? That we have money growing in our tree in the backyard? He really needs to get a better handle on his behavior."

Gwen didn't like how her mother was holding anger against her bother, but in a way she couldn't fault her frustration with him. Richie was known for breaking his glasses every now and again. Except there was always a reason for why his glasses would break. And that reason was because of Henry Bowers and his delinquent friends. That's why she went into her over protective sister mode when she had seen him come home yesterday with no glasses on and a nasty purple bruise on his face.

Richie actually seemed surprised yet relieved when she struck up conversation with him. However, when she finally asked what the hell was up with the bruise on his face and why wasn't he wearing his glasses, all he said was that he was roughhousing with his friends and that he fell. Thus breaking them once again. Gwen, however, didn't believe that story, but didn't further with questions. She had a warily feeling that Henry Bowers and his gang had something to do with it. The teen wanted to tell her mother about this suspicion but she didn't because her mother wouldn't have probably believed her. Richie in the past had tried constantly explaining to their mother and even their father about Henry's bullying, but they let him finish his explanations. So he just gave up. Due to this Gwen didn't even bother explaining her side of things. If her parents wouldn't give Richie the benefit of the doubt, why would things be any different with her? Despite all this, Gwen came to Richie's defense.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to break his glasses, mom." Gwen said as she straighten her posture. Her mother had just put breakfast on the table. It was the typical everyday meal that consisted of eggs and bacon. She didn't eat right away since she was too busy staring at her mother, who was now standing in front of her with her arms on her hips. A typical mother pose. It was obvious that the older woman did not like what she had just said.

"Oh, just like he didn't mean it last time? Or the time before that?" Maggie rebuked. She shook her head, still mad. "Your brother is just going to have to learn the hard way."

Gwen didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

Maggie's face became stern. "I mean, if he ends up breaking these new glasses, your father and I will not be getting him new ones. He needs to learn to be responsible."

"But mom that's not fair!" Gwen emotionally blurted. Why couldn't she just understand that this wasn't Richie's fault?!

"I don't care. I've had enough with your brother's reckless behavior." Maggie said with a shake of her head.

"It's not Richie's fault! If you want to blame someone blame _―"_

Gwen wasn't at all surprised to have been interrupted by her mother. Annoyed yes, but not surprised.

"Gwen Tozier, do not raise your voice at me young lady." Maggie Tozier told her daughter with a firm voice. "That is very rude."

Although irked, Gwen quickly became apologetic. "I'm sorry." She muttered lowering her eyes.

Maggie took in her daughter's apology. "That's okay." She said but her tone of voice held a saying that said do not do it again. Now although things had taken a tense turn, she still thought it was a good time to bring up that special announcement. The one that she thought would be a great help for her daughter. She took a seat next to her, but Gwen didn't look up. She instead picked at her breakfast with her fork. "I ran into Sharon Denbrough the other day."

"Oh really." Gwen replied uninterested.

Sure she wasn't raising her voice and she held no attitude, but her lack of attention bothered Maggie. She pursed her lips. "I asked if she was wiling to offer you piano lessons and she said yes."

Now that certainly caught Gwen's attention. Her dark eyes landed on her mother. "Why would you ask her that?" She asked. Now she was miffed.

"As a way to get you out of the house." Maggie Tozier simply said.

"I spend time outside the house." Gwen argued back.

Maggie sighed. "For school and softball, but other than that you're practically a hermit crab. I want you out and enjoying life."

 _What's left to enjoy?_ Gwen scoffed. "And what you think me learning how to play piano will do that?"

Maggie gave her a parental look. "It's a start."

Gwen knew there was no way arguing out of this. Her mother had set up her mind with this random decision of hers. That didn't mean she was going to like it though, because she didn't. Not in the slightest.

"Fine, whatever." Gwen muttered as she continued to sulk.

"Good, you start today after your softball practice."

Gwen's displeasure grew.

Maggie Tozier saw the miserable look her daughter had on but disregarded it. She had to remind herself this was a good thing for her. It had to be.

* * *

"Morgan Patterson seriously needs to work on her pitch. It's like she has noodles for arms." Francine Simmons ranted to her best friend, Gwen Tozier. The two of them were currently walking down a neighborhood. It was around the afternoon mark and they were now going to their homes. They were both dressed in their after school softball practice clothes. Each of them carried their personal softball duffel bags that had not only their school clothes but their softball belongings as well.

Today had been yet another softball practice for the girls. It had gone alright, and Francine was glad to see her best friend out in the field where she belonged. The blonde couldn't stop talking about their one teammate's who had messed up badly during their practice.

"I swear if we lose our shot at going to playoffs because of her..." Francine stopped talking when she caught sight of her best friend. She frowned with concern at the grim look she had on. "Hey, you with me?" She asked her softly.

Gwen blinked a few times before she glanced her way. "Huh? Oh yeah, I was just thinking that's all."

Francine's face fell a little with dismay. "Oh, were you thinking about..." She drawled on with sensitivity.

Gwen quickly shook her head. "No, I wasn't thinking about him." Well maybe she was, but Chase wasn't what was dragging her down.

"Then what's got you thinking?" Francine asked her.

Gwen let out a sigh. "My mom."

"Your mom?" Francine questioned, confused. "I don't seem to understand."

Gwen decided to tell her what had happened that very morning as they continued walking. In a way it helped Gwen feel better because she was finally venting.

"So she's making you learn piano?" Francine asked trying to comprehend what her best friend had just old her.

Gwen huffed, irritated. "Yeah, can you believe it? My mom is a lot of things but this is something else." The brunette shook her head. "She just wants me to stop playing softball. She's never liked how I'd rather play a sport than do something more feminine."

"Maybe you'll like it." Francine trying to look on the bright side of things.

"I doubt it." Gwen retorted. "I don't have a single musical bone in my body."

"That's not true." Francine rebuked. "You can hold a tune pretty well."

Gwen shook her head. "No, I can't."

"Yes you can! Don't you remember? You sang at the school talent show." Francine encouragingly reminded her.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Franny, that was like in the fifth grade."

"So? Everybody loved you. Remember what Chase said after the performance?" Francine asked still being supportive.

A sad smile grew on Gwen's face. "He said I sounded like an angel. God, that had me blushing like crazy." She felt her cheeks start to warm up. "Still does..." She whispered softly.

Francine shrugged her shoulders. "So what's the big deal? Just take the piano lessons. It's not like they're gonna interfere with softball, right?"

Gwen started to see reason. "My first lesson is today, but I guess it won't for the most part."

"And it's not like a total stranger is going to be teaching you. You know Sharon Denbrough, don't you?"

Gwen did know her. Her mother got along with Sharon Denbrough very well, and Gwen had no problem with her what so ever. Sharon was mother of two young boys. One of them was Richie's age _―_ William Denbrough, or as people liked to rudely address him as, stuttering Bill. She on the other hand just called him Bill. William was too formal for her and she would never ridicule him by calling him that awful nickname of stuttering Bill. The other son was George, and he was younger than Bill. Gwen only ever saw the youngest Denbrough whenever the whole Denbrough family was out and about. He was an adorable little thing, that was for sure.

"Yeah, she's nice." Gwen ended up concluding.

"Then take the lessons. What's the harm? Maybe you'll need to take it for a little while before your mom backs off." Francine smartly suggested.

"I guess you're right." Gwen responded back to her best friend. Maybe perhaps learning piano wouldn't be so bad after all?

"Oh, crap." Francine suddenly said. She had said it in such a low frighten voice. She immediately froze, making Gwen stop walking as well.

"What's wrong?" Gwen cautiously asked her.

Francine remained on guard. "It's them."

Gwen followed Francine's gaze. It didn't take long to figure out why her best friend had suddenly become alert.

There across the street from where they where at was Henry Bowers, Victor Criss, and Belch Huggins. Now Gwen would have been able to stay relaxed, if it had not been for Patrick Hocksetter's presence. This time the teen male was with there with the group of delinquents. The four of them were just lingering around, smoking. The Tozier girl felt her stomach drop by just looking at him. From the side she could see Francine's stiff exterior.

Gwen knew about Francine's heavy dislike for the Henry and his so called pals. Her blonde best friend's fierce feelings were mainly aimed towards Patrick Hockstetter. A dark haired boy who occasionally hung out with Henry, Victor, and Belch. Gwen didn't like him either. In fact she thought he was a creep. A incident that happened about a few months or so played in her mind. It was a memory she never liked thinking about, but every time she caught sight of Patrick it lingered in her mind.

A few months ago, after softball practice had ended, Gwen had been the only one to have stayed back and actually used the school showers to clean up. It was rare for her to do this since she preferred showering at home. On that particular afternoon her coach had really made them sweat and once practice was over all Gwen wanted to do was hop into a nice cool shower. Which is what she did. She undressed and took her time washing away the dirt and sweat that covered her.

Everything had been fine up until Gwen got out of the shower and started to change into her spare clean clothes. She had just finished putting on her jeans and was about to put her shirt, when she heard a low laugh. Gwen remembered her face paled because she knew right away that laugh didn't belong to a girl...it belonged to a guy. The Tozier girl had acted quick and finished putting on her shirt. She then let out a yell telling whoever was in there with her that she was going to report them. Immediately after she said that she heard rapid footsteps. They weren't heading her way though, they were going towards the back exit of the locker room.

It was a stupid move, but at the time all Gwen wanted to do was catch whoever had been spying on her changing. She wanted to know the identity of this creep. Sadly she didn't get a full front view of the intruder, but she managed to see his back. And it didn't take her long to think that it eerily matched to Patrick Hockstetter. Gwen couldn't be one hundred percent certain, but the dark hair she caught a glimpse of was the key to her suspicions. She wished she could have just said that it was him in the locker room, but she knew better than to make that claim. The Tozier girl had no real solid evidence that it had been him spying on her.

She still reported the incident. However, much to her dismay no culprit was ever caught. And since then every time Patrick caught sight of her he gave her a roguish look. Suggesting something shameful. Which just unsettled her even more.

Anyways, since that incident Gwen hadn't used the school showers after softball practice. Or actually she hadn't used the school showers period. And Gwen was even more cautious when changing in the locker room.

But because of what happened, Gwen had a strong intuition that something was wrong with Patrick. She hated thinking this but perhaps he was a psychopath. It made sense if he were one.

Even before the locker room incident, Patrick made red alarm bells go off in her head. One of the reasons for her wariness was because the male teen had a horrible habit of showing people his pencil box that was filled with dead flies. Flies that he had killed himself with his ruler and kept inside.

It grossed and disturbed Gwen to the core. And she wasn't the only girl he disturbed due to his oddness.

After she told Francine what had happened the blonde made sure to spread the word around about him. Soon other girls started saying that he too freaked them out due to his tendency to share his pencil box and because of the intense stares he would give them. Hence why no girl would want to go near him.

Overall Patrick just had characteristics and eerie behaviors that matched psychopathy (in Gwen's opinion anyway). Now she thought Henry Bowers did as well, (which might explain why those two hung out) but the difference was that if Gwen had to choose between being in a room with Patrick or being harshly picked on by Henry, she'd rather endure Henry's harsh teasing, and she knew for certain that Francine would have chosen the same thing.

"Come on, let's go this way." Francine said with urgency. She too was afraid going passed by them.

They successfully avoided being seen by them, but unfortunately for Gwen at the very last few seconds before they turned the corner, Patrick lifted his gaze and his dark eyes caught hers. It was at the moment that Gwen wished that it had been Victor who had seen her and not Patrick. Her heart pounded out of anxiousness, waiting to see what he would do. Her hand gripped her baseball bat tighter in case she would need to use it. It loosened a bit when she how he wasn't making his way towards them. He hadn't even let the others know. That was weird. Normally she would feel relief that he wasn't outing her like she would feel with Victor. Except unlike with Victor, Gwen had no reassurance with Patrick. His coolness perturbed her. All he was doing was giving her one of his infamous skin crawling grins. And then suddenly he winked at her. That disturbed her even more because his wink and grin held a horrific promise. It was a promise that said he would be seeing her later.

Gwen's nerves skyrocketed. She felt somewhat safe that she was with Francine right now, but she knew that if she were ever truly alone with him he would do something terrible to her.

Goosebumps covered both her arms, up and down. They didn't go away until she had turned the corner, finally distancing herself from him. Gwen was glad she was no longer in his eyesight, but that damn grin and wink he gave her kept replaying in her mind.

Dare she say it almost scared her as much as that mysterious red balloon had. Not to mention that _voice_...

A chill went down her spine and Gwen instantly reached for the silver Turtle necklace she was wearing around her neck. Since that night she had been wearing the necklace more often. The Turtle necklace had always given her a sense of reassurance but since that night with the red balloon it became a source of protection.

Deciding to put aside that awful memory from that night, Gwen kept silent as she followed Francine.

The last thing Gwen wanted at the moment was to add even more fear within herself. The Tozier girl knew if she kept thinking about that damn red balloon and of that nerve-racking voice she heard she would end up going white as a sheet.

* * *

Francine ended up walking Gwen all the way to her house. Thankfully the blonde didn't leave so far away from her house, so Gwen knew Francine would be alright. Still the phone call she received when Francine arrived to her own home was extra reassurance. Once Gwen was inside her mother rushed her to get ready to go over to Sharon Denbrough's house for her first piano lesson.

Gwen ended up taking another shower and changed before leaving. Her mother had insisted on it. Apparently she needed to be clean and non-sweaty. Which she wasn't going to argue with. So Gwen showered and got ready once more. To satisfy her mother, Gwen decided to wear a nice blouse and nice jeans. Granted it wasn't a dress or a skirt, but it was still a vast improvement with what she was going to originally wear.

Which was a simple band t-shirt and old jeans. Except Gwen knew her mother would have had a fit if she saw her wear those to her first piano lesson at one of her good friend's house. So Gwen adjusted her wardrobe...for today anyways.

Now here she was, standing in front of the Denbrough's house. Her mother had dropped her off and was now driving her way down the street. Her mother not being here gave Gwen the chance to run away. That though wasn't necessarily a smart thing to do since her mother would have quickly found out for herself that she skipped her first lesson. That for sure would have earned her a grounding. So she didn't run. Instead Gwen rang the door bell. She didn't have to wait long for somebody to answer the door. And that somebody was Sharon Denbrough.

"Hello, Mrs. Denbrough." Gwen said becoming sheepish. "Um, I'm here for my first piano lesson."

Sharon Denbrough rewarded her with a caring smile. "Of course! Come in."

With a heavy sigh, Gwen stepped into the Denbrough home.

It was a nice home, very quaint. Kind of like how hers was. This helped ease away her sheepishness. Sharon lead her into the living room where Gwen right away saw two boys playing with _Legos_. She recognized the boys as Sharon's sons. Bill and George. From where she was at it appeared as if they were making a tower of some sorts. It was interesting to look at, Gwen had to admit. Sharon called out her sons' names, making them momentarily forget about the _Lego_ tower they were building.

"Boys, Gwen Tozier's here. Remember I said I would be teaching her piano. Gwen, these are my boys, Bill and George, but you probably already knew that." Sharon said with a smile. "I just wanted to make things clear in case they weren't." She glanced further into the house. "If you excuse me, I'll go grab the music sheets we will be working on today." With that she left, leaving Gwen with Bill and George. Things weren't awkward though. In fact there was a calming aura in the home.

"Hi, Gw-Gw-Gwen." Bill shyly stuttered as he waved at her.

Gwen gave him a friendly smile. "Hey, Bill."

"Hi!" Georgie happily exclaimed at the older girl."My mom says she's gonna be teaching you piano. Are you gonna be as good as her one day?"

Bill threw his younger brother a look. "Georgie, d-don't be b-bothering her with s-silly questions."

"Oh, it's okay." Gwen didn't find George's _―_ or should she say Georgie's questions bothersome. She found the young boy's eagerness and curiousness to be endearing. She gave him a smile. "Well I hope to be as good as her one day."

"You will!" Georgie said happily. "My mom's great at piano. She even said she'd teach me one day. I can't wait!"

"That's cool." Gwen sweetly said to him.

"Do you maybe w-w-want to help us build our t-t-tower?" Bill asked her, once again stuttering. "M-my mom might t-t-take a b-bit finding those m-music s-s-sheets."

His stuttering did not make Gwen gawk at him. She wasn't at all treating him any differently from how she would treat anyone else she was fairly acquainted with. She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

Gwen knew it might have been immature to be playing with _Legos_ at her age, (her mother surely would have been berating her for doing so, telling her she needed to act like a lady instead) but at the moment she didn't care how ridiculous she was being. She proceeded to help the two Denbrough boys make their _Lego_ tower until Sharon Denbrough came back to officially start her first piano lesson.

In those few minutes that Gwen helped them build their _Lego_ tower, she couldn't help but start to feel a type of happiness surge through her.

Maybe things were finally looking up for her.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Guys I finally saw the movie! I repeat I finally saw the movie and I LOVED it! (No surprise though ^.^) __It was scary, funny, and very emotional. There were moments were I was full on scared in my seat and other moments were I almost cried. Overall it was very intense. **B** **ill Skarsgård** was amazing as **Pennywise!** Every time he was on screen he had all my attention. ***Spoiler Alert*** The scene where he danced?! OMG! Give this guy a damn Oscar. God he was scary and funny. And all the kid actors were great in their roles! **Finn Wolfhard** was fantastic as **Richie**! I liked all the Losers, but he by far was my favorite Loser, as well as **Beverly**. They got her character right! As for the **Bowers Gang**? They were good too. Because of how the movie ended, I'm already coming up with different ways that could fit into the story. Don't worry though I'll find a way! I hope you guys are ready because it's gonna be a bumpy ride from here on out. O.o Anyways, without further ado here's the new chapter!_

 _ **P.S.**_ _I also do not own any music mentioned in this chapter._

 _ **P.S.S** I have a feeling you guys are going to like the ending of this chapter because it involves a certain character's POV. _

* * *

" _It kills me sometimes, how people die." ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5:**_ ** _Tragedy strikes again_**

 ** _October, 1988_**

Using all of her concentration, Gwen read the music sheet before she began playing the piano. With a pleased expression she listened to how every key she hit created a melody that took her to a whole other word. A world that was filled with gaiety and harmony. She was absolutely bewitched by the beauty of the famous piece _Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2._ A music piece that she was able to recreate all on her own now.

Never in a million years did Gwen actually think she would be able to master the skill of piano playing. Even though she had told Georgie that she _hoped_ to be as good as his mother, it was a halfhearted comment. At the most she excepted to learn the basic stuff. Gwen didn't except to learn piano professionally. But to her surprise she did. She mastered the skill right away.

Sharon had started her off with simple beginner pieces. Like _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday,_ and a few others. Right away though the Denbrough woman saw how Gwen was able to read through the sheets as if they were nothing. As for playing the actual pieces? She nailed them all from the first try. She played them fast and well. Which astounded Sharon. For a so called beginner Gwen was already showing advanced skills. The Tozier girl reassured her that she had never once played piano before.

Therefore, the simplest explanation that Sharon came up with was that Gwen must have had real honest to God talent. The dark haired girl was a music prodigy. She for sure had a shot of having a music career if she kept up her lessons. This was an impressive thought, but Sharon knew that for Gwen piano playing wasn't something she wanted to pursue further into her life. It was just something she did on the side to please her mother. Although it was obvious that the girl liked it.

Except Sharon knew that Gwen still preferred playing softball. She was a tomboy after all and that was her main focus. Which was a shame but Sharon wasn't going to interfere with what made the girl happy. Based on what she's heard around town (mainly from Maggie), Gwen hadn't been entirely herself. Not since the passing of Chase Campbell. So Sharon wasn't going to pester her with what she should do regarding her hobbies...she had a feeling Maggie already did that enough.

As the piano piece was nearing it's fast point, Sharon noticed how Gwen began putting more emphasize in her movements. The teen started nodding her head more and Sharon saw the elation in her eyes grow intently.

For a moment there everything around Gwen went away. It was just the piano and her. The climax of the piece was finally here and she wasn't about to mess up. This was her moment. She furrowed her eyebrows as she ardently hit each piano key. She listened carefully and let out a relieved smile when she past the complicated part of the piece. As she hit the last piano key, she let the note linger before pulling her hands away from the piano. It was now quiet, minus her loud breathing. She looked at Sharon Denbrough waiting for her reaction. Her approval or disapproval is what counted after all.

"Very good, Gwen!" Sharon praised the young teen. "You really do have a talent."

Gwen gave her a bashful expression. "Thanks, Mrs. Denbrough.'

The older woman gave her a smile. "How many times have I told you? Call me Sharon."

"Right." Gwen nodded sheepishly. "Sorry... _Sharon_."

Sharon looked at the clock that was hung on her wall. "It's getting pretty late now. How about we call it a day."

Gwen more than happily agreed. "Sure." She got up and grabbed for her belongings.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? It wouldn't be a problem for Zack to do so." Sharon asked as she saw Gwen grab her stuff. This wouldn't be the first time her husband had given Gwen a ride home. Since offering Gwen piano lessons, the young teen had become the unofficial babysitter for Georgie and even for her first born Bill. Sharon remembered Bill had been unhappy about that since he considered himself old enough to look out after himself and Georgie. Soon his objection faltered when he started seeing the more positive side to things. He began viewing Gwen more as a friend than a babysitter.

Anyways, there had been a few times when Sharon and her husband would arrive a bit late. Now Gwen's main transportation was either her mom, bike, or feet. More than often she walked where ever she needed to go or her mom picked her up. Since babysitting for them though Zack been the one to drop her off at home after her gig was over. Sharon, however, knew it wouldn't be a bother for her husband to drive Gwen right now. Even if it was just the afternoon.

Gwen smiled at how worried she sounded. She was like her mother...only less intense. Which she was ever thankful for. Bill and Georgie were lucky to have Sharon as a mother. "No, that's okay." She politely declined. "Do you mind if I say a quick hello to Bill before I go?" She asked. Sharon had told her earlier how Bill wasn't feeling to well and since then she wanted to check up on him.

Sharon nodded her head. She was touched by how concerned she was for her oldest son. "Of course you can. I don't mind at all. He's probably still resting in bed. Poor thing."

Gwen gave her a small smile before she made her way upstairs. Already knowing the way (thanks to all the times she had babysat) she quickly arrived in front of Bill's bedroom door. It was closed, so she did the polite thing to do. She knocked. It didn't take long to hear a muffled from the other side to come on in. When she opened the door she saw Bill. He was laying in bed with different types of blankets all around him. He was wearing pajamas that had dinosaurs of them. She smiled when she saw this. Now she wasn't one to judge sleep wear. The Tozier girl still wore pajamas that had bunny designs to sleep every now and again. So seeing dinosaur pajamas was not what really had her staring at him. His slightly red nose and tired eyes were what caught her attention. _Poor Bill...he probably feels like doo doo right now._ Hopefully her present would cheer him up a bit.

"Hey." Gwen greeted as she came further inside. She stopped once she reached his bed.

Bill let out a cough. "Hi." He got up into a sitting position.

"How you feeling?" Even though she could see how sick he looked she still wanted to hear what he had to say about his own health. Perhaps he felt better on the inside?

Bill took a deep breath. "Would yo-yo-you be-be-believe me if I-I-I said I felt alright? Well at least better than I did an hour or so a-a-a-ago. I ca-ca-can breathe a bit better now."

"Well that's good." Gwen said feeling relieved. A piece of paper and pen on his night stand caught her attention. "Writing another story?" She asked pointing to said items.

Bill nodded his head. "Tr-Tr-Trying to."

She smiled at his response. If there was one thing Gwen knew for certain about Bill Denbrough, it was that the kid had talent in writing stories. The boy had an active imagination and such imagination allowed him to come up with some very interesting tales.

"I liked that one story you told me." Gwen confessed gaining his absolute attention. "The one about the dragon and the princess. How she was able to defeat the dragon not by using her beauty, but by using her intelligence. Very different from your modern princess crap. You should really write that one down."

"Georgie liked it too." Bill told her. Suddenly, as if her compliment had been to much, he became unsure of himself and his stutter came back with a force." But I-I-I don't know."

"Well in case you ever change your mind." Gwen said as she reached into her backpack. She pulled out a brand new writing notebook. "Here." She said handing it to him.

"What's this?" Bill asked taken back by such gift. He was holding and staring at it with such bemusement.

Gwen decided to be a little sarcastic with him. "A burrito." She then smiled becoming serious. "A notebook silly."

"N-N-No, I know that. B-B-But why?" Bill asked her, completely muddled.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Because I know you like writing and you have a ton of story ideas running in that head of yours. Stories that should be written down in a actual notebook." She wanted to sound nonchalant about the whole thing, but she couldn't. This was a kind gesture and it was one Bill was taking to heart. He gave Gwen a full on smile as he held the notebook closer to him.

"Thanks, Gwen." Bill said with a even toned voice. He now felt a little less weak than before.

The room became peacefully quiet after that, but Gwen being Gwen soon ended it. She gave Bill a small smile this time. "I'd hug you, but you're sick." She awkwardly said ending the amiable moment between them.

Bill laughed at her aberrant behavior. She was a lot more like Richie than he had previously thought. "That's okay."

Gwen started making her way towards the door. "I guess I'll let you rest now. Bye, Bill." She said waving goodbye to him.

Bill, who was still smiling, waved back. "Buh-Buh-Bye, Gwen." He would have been embarrassed about his stutter coming back, but he was too happy about the gift he had just received. Maybe Gwen was right...maybe he should start writing his stories down. Georgie should would like that. Once Gwen closed his bedroom door behind her, Bill reached over his night stand to grab his pen. He then opened the notebook to the first blank page and started writing his heart away.

Meanwhile, once Gwen was in the hallway with the bedroom door closed behind her, she was immediately brought into a hug. The person who was hugging her only reached to her waist making her already know who it was. "Georgie?" She questioned as she looked down at the adorable brownish blonde haired boy.

Georgie lifted his gaze to look at her. "I saw you give Bill the notebook." He said as he still hugged her. "That was really nice of you! Now he can write down his stories so he won't forget!" He exclaimed smiling at her. He knew he was right about Gwen being a nice girl. Whenever she babysat him or was around Bill, she was nice to him and his older brother Bill. She wasn't at all like most people her age who made fun of his brother because of the way he talked. No she was nice all the time. She was like an older sister. This thought made Georgie even more happy. "Thanks, Gwen." He happily told her.

Gwen for a few seconds there was left speechless. When she found composure she returned the hug and released a small smile towards the boy. "You know you shouldn't be eavesdropping." She replied before ending the hug.

"I know but I saw Bill's door open and I thought he was feeling better. Then I saw you give him the notebook and I couldn't help overhearing what you two were saying." Georgie excitedly rambled to her. He titled his head after he paused briefly. "Do you think he'll use it?" A really big part of him wanted his older brother to use the notebook. That way he'd be able to read his stories. Bill's stories were always the best.

"I think he will." Gwen said thoughtfully. She gave Georgie one last smile. "Anyways, I gotta jet."

"Next time you come over can you help me and Bill build another tower? It was so much fun last time!" Georgie asked her with such a hope filled voice. Since her arrival the three of them always built stuff with _Legos_. Mainly buildings and what not. The last couple of visits though Gwen hadn't been able to spare any time for them. She was about to tell him she wasn't so sure, but the way he had asked and the way he looking at her with those puppy dog eyes had Gwen unable to say no. She ended up nodding her head.

"Sure, I promise."

Georgie smiled at that. "Thanks, Gwen! I can't wait." After he said she saw him run back into his own bedroom.

Gwen left the Denbrough house that afternoon with a joyous expression _―_ happy that she was able to bring joy to not one person, but two of them. She was not at all aware that was the last time she would ever speak to or see Georgie Denbrough alive ever again.

* * *

The next day had been quite a boring day so far if Gwen had to be honest. Nothing so far had happened. Well, nothing interesting. But was there anything interesting to do on a Sunday in Derry, Maine? She would have hung out with Francine, but her blonde best friend was spending quality time with her parents. So Gwen spent most of her time inside her room (surprise surprise) only ever coming out when she needed to. Her mother, however, had made her clean her room from top to bottom. Richie as well. Her mother had been in one of her odd off moods. She got like this from time to time, but by now Gwen was just used to it. So she did as she was told and cleaned her room. Not that it was dirty...well, she thought it wasn't dirty. At least it wasn't like Richie's. Her mother had a cow when she saw how messy his room was.

Her mother's yelling and scolding at her brother was heard from her room even with the door shut. Random things were heard. From, " _Richie this place is a pigsty!" to "Richie why are your clothes all over the floor?!"_ In a way it was quite funny. However when Gwen tried to intervene their little argument, her mother had made her go back to her room.

Maggie Tozier was for the most part a calm woman. Yes she was a woman of excitement, so she could be eccentric every once in a while. But when she was in one of her moods her behavior was...intense. Today her temper had been way higher than usual. So that alone had Gwen hurriedly go back to her own room not wanting to face her wrath. Besides from what she was able to understand, Richie had been refusing to clean his room...hence the yelling. Luckily, it seemed Richie finally decided to give in and he reluctantly ended up cleaning his room. Her mother cooled down a lot after that.

Since she wasn't cleaning anymore, Gwen used this time to lay in bed and listen to her music. She would never admit (especially to her mother) but because of her, Gwen had been getting into music. A lot more than before. She had even saved up her allowance and bought herself a new Walkman. Which is what she was using right now. She had on her headphones and was jamming out to the song _Once in a life time by Talking Heads._

 _Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down_  
 _Letting the days go by, water flowing underground_  
 _Into the blue again after the money's gone_  
 _Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground_

Her relaxing mood was soon interrupted when she heard her mother yell for her to come downstairs for dinner. Even with her headphones on and her music blasting, her mother's voice held more volume. Gwen figured she got her loud voice from her mother because when she yelled (or screamed) _―_ whether in anger or fear _―_ she was pretty loud herself. When she was little she used to scream in the middle of the night because of these horrible nightmares she used to have. She couldn't exactly remember what the nightmares were about only that bright yellow eyes and sharp teeth were involved. Perhaps it was an animal of some sort but she wasn't sure. She shuddered just thinking about that awful time period. Thankfully the nightmares stopped as she grew older. And she _hoped_ they wouldn't return. Because if they did...well, she wasn't so sure how she would be able to handle them.

Not wanting to think about nightmares anymore, Gwen quickly hopped out of bed. She took out her headphones and put her Walkman on her nightstand before she exited her room. When she got downstairs she saw how Richie was already sitting down at the kitchen table. Their mother was by the stove pouring what she thought was soup into another bowl. Gwen took a seat across from Richie. The seat next to Richie was empty. That was where their father usually sat, but Wentworth had to go in for work today on account of one of his patients having an emergency root canal. Wentworth was a dentist, so being called in such late notice wasn't out of the ordinary. So for now it was just her, Richie, and their mother.

Once Gwen was settled down, she looked over at Richie. It was then she noticed he had on a exasperated expression. It was aimed towards the bowl that was in front of him. This had Gwen muddled. Why was he in such a state? It wasn't until her mother had set down her own bowl that she finally understood Richie's displeasure. She stared at the bowl that was filled with gross looking lettuce with a full on frown. "What in the world is this goo?" She questioned with curiosity.

"Doom." Richie uttered as he too looked at his own bowl with aversion. He used his spoon to poke at it for a few seconds. When he got bored he set his spoon to the side.

Maggie payed no mind to her son. "It's not goo, it's cabbage stew." She informed her daughter as she sat down beside her. "Try it."

That wasn't going to happen. "Ugh, cabbage stew? Really mom." Gwen scrunched up her face in disgust. "I'd rather eat my own throw up."

"That's what I said!" Richie exclaimed resisting to laugh his ass off again. His mother had already reprimanded him for doing so when he came into the kitchen and insulted her cooking. He hadn't meant it in a harsh way just in a joking way. His mother though found no humor in his comment. It appeared that Gwen had, and that made him happy because his sister was actually somewhat talking and paying attention to him.

As of lately Gwen had been spending more time at the Denbrough house because of her piano lessons and babysitting job. She spent so much time over there that it had practically become her second home. Richie was embarrassed to admit it but he was actually a little bit jealous of Bill and even little Georgie because it seemed that they got to spend more time with Gwen. It was as if the two Denbrough siblings had become brothers to her. And it hurt Richie that Gwen rather preferred spending her time over there with Bill and his younger brother than with him. What made it worse was that Bill was a friend of his and he hated feeling any resentment towards his friend. Right now though, any jealously he had faltered when he saw how Gwen was looking at him with amusement. She clearly understood his frivolous comment. It was obvious they both shared the same brash humor filled comments and thoughts.

Maggie let out a huff, she looked at her both children with annoyance. She did not at all understand why they were acting so impertinent towards her cooking. "There is nothing wrong with eating healthy." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

"It is when you're trying to poison us." Richie flippantly rebuked

Maggie eyes narrowed at her youngest child. After the way he had acted today with him refusing to clean his room ordeal, he now was getting on her last nerve. "This isn't poison young man. It's _food_."

"Says you." Richie fired back.

It was low insult but Maggie still heard it. Gwen could see the irritation behind her mother's eyes. Irritation that was aimed at her younger brother. She spoke up in hopes to direct that anger onto her instead.

"I mean, why cabbage stew?" She asked tilting her head. "Seems a bit unusual. If you wanted to make something healthy you could have made salad or something."

Richie shuddered at that. "That's still gross."

"Better than cabbage stew." Gwen muttered as she made a show of eyeing the meal in front of her.

"Fine!" Maggie Tozier yelled out as she stood up. Her spoon had hit her bowl pretty hard that it creaked a loud _CLANK_ noise. "Don't eat then. Excuse me for trying to do something good for this family." She gave her children a hurtful and angered look. "Eat whatever you want. I'll eat when your father gets here. Until then, I will be in my room."

Both Tozier siblings watched as their mother left the kitchen. Their gazes didn't go away until she headed up the stairs. Finally it was Gwen who spoke. "Think we pushed her too far?" The sound a of a door slamming shut made them wince. _Question answered._

No matter how awkward the situation was, Richie took a lighthearted approach. "I'm guessing our criticism was taken to heart." He said as he pushed his bowl away from him.

Gwen started to feel bad. She eyed the bowl that was in front of her with consideration. "Maybe we shouldn't have done that." She let out a sigh. "She did spend her time making this for us. Even if it is gross."

Richie shook his head. "No way. That meant we would have had to try it and then lie telling her it was good. Which it's not believe me. Besides..." He drawled on as he looked at the bowl away from him with revulsion. "I don't think I would be able to stomach that anyways."

Well he certainly made sense there. Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah...you're right. Looking at it just makes me want to upchuck what I ate earlier."

"Ditto." Richie cleared his throat before doing one of his impressions. This time he spoke with a exaggerated French accent. " _Itz disgusting to even zee, let aloone eet. Give me zome french friez inztead._ "

Gwen released a laugh. That sounded so bad and not at all like a French accent. Yet it amused her. Richie laughed as well but his reason was because he and sister were actually getting along and having a full on conversation. It was as if things between them were going back to normal.

After they calmed down from laughing an idea entered Gwen's head. "How about I get us some dinner from the diner. Burger and fries? That sound good to you?"

Richie's face lit up. "Really?"

Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Okay, should we tell mom?" Richie asked already getting from his seat. He was dreading doing so though.

Gwen quickly stood up stopping him from doing that. "Nah, I'll pay for it." She assured him.

Behind his glasses, Gwen could see his eyes widen. "You sure?"

Gwen waved her hand. "Yeah I have a bunch of money saved up from babysitting."

Richie wasn't about to argue over a free meal. His gaze however went towards the kitchen window. From inside he was still able to see how dark and cloudy the sky was. He turned to look at his sister in slight worry now. "But it looks like it's about to rain heavy. Are you sure?"

Gwen grabbed her jacket and then her bag. "I'll be quick don't worry. You mind if I borrow your bike?"

"Nah, go ahead." Richie replied as he followed her towards the door.

Gwen zipped up her jacket and then turned to look at her younger brother. "If mom asks just tell her where I went."

Richie let out a sigh. "I doubt she'll come downstairs until dad arrives, but okay."

Gwen pulled up her hoodie. She opened the door, but before she stepped outside she glanced over her shoulder. "Be back soon!" She told her brother before finally going outside. He watched as she waved him goodbye as she rode away on his bike.

Richie still feeling unsure with her departure managed to give her a wave in return.

* * *

A wave of grief hit Gwen like a freight train when she stepped inside the diner. She expected to feel some sort of sadness _―_ this was the last place she was supposed to meet up with Chase. Strong feelings to emerged and that overwhelmed her. Which was a shock because she had been doing so well with guarding her emotions lately. The Tozier thought for sure that she was strong enough now to come here. To be fair with herself, she hadn't broken down into tears yet, so obviously that meant she held some composure.

Despite the weather being horrible, the diner was somewhat busy with customers. She didn't dare look around the whole diner for in case that would bring up even more pain filled emotions. She avoided looking at the booth she had sat, waiting for Chase to show up. The Tozier girl instead walked forward to where the main counter was at. The counter seats were all empty, but she decided to keep standing. Riding Richie's bike made her want to stand up rather than sit. She wasn't used to his. She would have taken hers, but she at the moment had a flat. One she really needed to get fixed.

"Ah, Gwen! Hello, it's been a while, huh?"

Gwen looked towards where the voice came from. "Hey Kenny." She greeted with a smile. Kenny was the manager and owner of the diner. He was a kind middle aged man that Gwen often would conversate with. He usually worked in his office but occasionally came up to the front when needed. Guess it was one of those days. His question made Gwen sad all over again. It had been a while since she's set foot in here. "I guess it has." She looked around the counter in hopes for a distraction. Almost immediately did a question enter her mind. "Where's Rachel?" She asked, truthfully wondering where the older teen girl was at.

"I gave her the day off today." Kenny replied as he started wiping the counter. Once it was spotless he looked over towards her. "She's starting to get ready for her schooling next year."

"Oh, that's right." Gwen responded in realization. Rachel was soon going to leave Derry. _Lucky her._ She managed to give out another smile. "Well that was nice of you."

Kenny sighed as he ran a hand through his short sandy hair. "Yeah, but with her leaving to college I'm gonna be a extra hand short." He suddenly looked at Gwen with hope. "Say you wouldn't be interested in a waitress position would you?"

That was a such a unexpected question. "Uh, I'm not sure." Gwen said with a low voice. "I'd have to talk to my parents about it." That was total BS right there. She knew for certain that her parents would be all for her getting a job. They'd be proud and what not. But the thought of working at the place where she was supposed to have her first date with Chase made her stomach drop. She wasn't sure she would be able to handle working here.

Kenny appeared to be disappointed but he took her answer. "Alright, let them know and then think about it." Kenny said before taking out his notepad. "Now what can I get you?"

Gwen told him her order and then watched as he went to the kitchen to give her order to the cooks. Once she was by herself again, Gwen leaned against the counter. She was too busy looking at the menu and it's colorful designs that she was completely startled when she felt someone rub up against her from behind. Although she didn't see the person's hands she certainly felt them on her rear. The touch only lasted briefly but she still felt violated. Beyond angry and offended, Gwen moved away from the person's greedy touch. Once putting some space between them she quickly turned to face the culprit. Her eyes widen in nervousness when she saw who it was that had been touching her.

" _Oh_ , jumpy aren't we?" Patrick Hockstetter asked mockingly. He had on that same grin that made her skin crawl.

Gwen hurriedly pulled her jacket and bag tighter against her. This move made Patrick release a dark chuckle. As if that would get him to stop shamefully staring at her. Gwen however remained that way and hid her body as best as she could from him. She thought his stare would falter, but it didn't. If anything his intense gaze on her became more depraved. Basically it was a stare that said, _I know that you know that I know._

And boy did he know.

If anything this interaction between them just convinced her more about how it had been him that spied on her changing.

Gwen swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried figuring out a way to get out of this. No ideas came to mind. She assured herself that Patrick wouldn't trying anything else with her. They were in a public setting and there were other customers here. Granted they weren't paying the least bit attention to them but if she called for help they certainly would assist her, wouldn't they?

"How you been?" Patrick asked drawing her away from her thoughts. He sounded condescendingly as he leaned against the diner's counter. His dark beady eyes were looking her up and down. "You're not still grieving over what's his name, are you?" His gaze finally landed on her face and a cocky grin quickly appeared. "You know..." He said licking his lips. "I could make you feel better."

Not only was Gwen deeply unnerved by his crude behavior, but she was disgusted by it as well. Anger also flowed through her by how rude he was being towards Chase's passing. _How dare he act lewd with me._ No matter how much she was unnerved by him, she wasn't about to let him push all her over. The Tozier girl harden her eyes and steadied her voice. " _Shove off._ " She heatedly told him.

"Playing hard to get?" Patrick chuckled as he started to lean towards her again. "Fine, I'll _bite_."

Gwen was about to act out, ready to full on slap him, when a familiar voice (one she was _glad_ to hear) entered her ears.

"Hey, we're leaving. You coming or not?" Victor Criss asked coolly. He was standing a few feet away from them. Although he appeared indifferent, Gwen noticed behind his blase demeanor how he was keeping a particularly close eye on Patrick. She saw how his hands were by his sides and they were clenched. Very tightly she might add. Why? She hadn't a clue.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Patrick answered lifting himself up from the counter. He gave Gwen one last lingering stare and a wink to make her even more uncomfortable. He grinned at seeing her uneasiness. "I'll be seeing you later, _Gwen_." He stressed out before finally making his way towards the sleek white-blonde haired boy.

Gwen was relieved when Patrick was no longer near her. Despite her mind telling her not to look anywhere near them, Gwen found herself looking towards their direction. Patrick was now by the front door, where she saw Belch and Henry waiting for him. Nerves grew inside her. She relaxed a bit when she looked at Victor again. He was still in the same spot as before _―_ standing a few feet away from her. His expression on his face was placid and his hands were no longer clenched. He seemed less tense now that she was alone.

For some reason she found herself wanting to thank him...but why? What had he done? _He got Patrick to back off..._ a little voice said in her head. But had he really? All he did was let him know they were leaving...that didn't automatically make him a knight and shining armor. Still...the need to thank him was strong. Whatever cordial intentions she had went away when she heard Henry called Victor over.

Victor stared at her for a few more seconds before he finally made his way over to his group. She knew deep down that Victor wouldn't single her out, but Patrick was another story. It wasn't like last time where he had spared her. This time the dark haired boy did inform Henry and Belch of her presence. The two boys turned to look at her and she instantly saw the malicious intent behind their eyes. Henry's was the most obvious. He gave her a grin and made a very obscene gesture that involved two of his fingers and tongue.

Seeing that made a shocked and grossed expression cross over Gwen's face. She couldn't believe he just did that. That was beyond crass. Her reaction was exactly what he was expecting because all that got was for him to laugh along with Patrick and Belch. Victor however just held the door for them and waited until they all walked through before he spared her one last glance. After that he too left following behind his so called buddies.

Even with them gone, Gwen no longer felt any peace. When her order was finally called, she was more than ready to leave the diner. That whole experience with Patrick and the others just gave her more reason to not want work there.

As she hurriedly rode her way home racing against the rain, Gwen wasn't aware of the burning yellow eyes that followed her. A pair of yellow eyes that belonged to a cosmic entity that had just fed and were now gazing at her with appealing interest.

* * *

Gwen was completely soaked from head to toe once she arrived home. She was lucky enough to a salvage the food thanks to Kenny, who had been smart enough to give her two bags to cover her order.

When she did arrive to her property she was pleasantly surprised to see that her father's car was parked already in the drive way. She figured he wouldn't be back till way later. Nevertheless she was glad he was here. With him present her mother's mood would go back to normal. She opened the garage door and parked Richie's bike next to her's. She then raced to the back door and opened it.

Once inside her house, Gwen took off her jacket. She was in need of a warm shower. Walking towards the kitchen table, she was startled to hear her mother's distressed tone of voice.

"Where have you been?!"

Gwen looked at her with slightly wide eyes. "I went to the diner to get Richie and I food." She told her as she held up the to go order. The teen set the food aside and eyed her mother in worry. "Didn't Richie tell you?"

Her mother didn't answer her question. Instead she sat down. Complete anguish was set on her face. This made Gwen's anxiousness grow. "Mom...what's wrong?"

Maggie's eyes watered. "Gwen, something bad happened..."

Gwen immediately thought the worst. "What is it? Is it Richie? Is he okay?!" She asked with urgency ready to act out.

"No, your brother's fine. He's upstairs with your father." Maggie gently assured her.

"Then what is it? What's got you worked up?" Gwen asked. She was still nervous to hear what her mother had to say.

Maggie took a hold of her daughter's hand. "It's about George Denbrough..."

Gwen felt her entire body go cold. "What happened?" Her entire body was shaking not only from the coldness of the rain, but from anticipation as well. She looked her mother straight in the eyes. "Mom...what happened?!"

Maggie released a cry. "Oh, Gwen. I don't know how to tell you this, but..."

Gwen though completely shut off after she heard what her mother had to say next. _No...not Georgie...not innocent Georgie!_ She could literally feel all the progress she had made go away and felt the pain and depression that once invaded her come back with a force. She didn't know how long she blankly stared at her kitchen wall. It wasn't until she felt the tears go down her cheeks and when her mother brought her into her hug that she finally broke down. She no longer could control her anguish emotions.

This was the second time Gwen's heard tragic news. And the second time her life felt like it was being turned upside down.

Unbeknownst to Gwen, as she was having her emotional break down, the same yellow eyes from before were watching her again.

This time the entity behind those eyes _―IT_ _―_ took immense joy in watching her ache. Much like the last time when she cried over that inept boy she harbored feelings for. Only this time _IT_ made sure to really _bask_ in her torment. _IT_ savored her unique smell she let out. She didn't smell like the others...she smelled incredibly sweet. One of the reasons why _IT_ was so intrigued by her. The other reason was something _IT_ didn't like thinking about. Although it was pointless to do so anyways. There was no reason to doubt the power _IT_ had. _IT_ was the supreme one. Nothing could match up to _ITs_ abilities. Therefore, _IT_ didn't stop watching her suffer until hours later and even then her misery still made _IT_ giddy with delight. Now more than ever did _IT_ want to taste her flesh...but not yet.

After all drawing out the fear in _ITs_ victims was the best part and that's what made them taste better.

And _IT_ knew just by her smell that she was going to be quite a meal.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** OMG you guys I am beyond overjoyed that this story is getting more follows and favorites as well as comments. It makes me happy that you guys are liking this story. I actually went to go see the movie for a second time. Let me tell you I loved it more the second time I saw it. However, the Georgie scene always gets to me :/ I always find it more sad than scary. Poor little Georgie :( The films score just added more to the feel of the whole scene. Despite how emotional it is the whole movie is fantastic. I wish I could keep watching it over and over again. Also, I'm happy that you guys liked how I put **ITs** POV in the last chapter. There's gonna be more from **ITs** POV as we go further into the story. The thoughts **IT** has on Gwen are important to know. They are beyond complex to understand and because of that I have a feeling you guys are gonna like the story as we progress. I know a lot of people like complex characters and **IT/Pennywise** is very complex indeed - at least I think so when it comes to Gwen._

 _Another character that is complex is Victor Criss. I'm glad you guys are noticing how subtle he is with the way he acts around Gwen. Some of you already have guessed why that is (which I mean it really isn't that hard to guess- but in case you guys haven't figured it out he likes her). I know in the movie Victor had a very small part, but in the novel he was more involved. Out of all the guys in the Bowers' Gang, Victor was the one that had more of a moral compass. He still acted like a bully but even he had his limits. He even tried helping the Losers' out in one point in the novel, but ultimately changed his mind at the last second. ***Spoiler, I guess?*** In the novel he along with Belch end up getting killed by **Pennywise** , but that didn't happen in the remake so that's gonna cause some changes in the story. I have ideas though. Anyways what I'm getting at is that Victor is gonna be more involved in this story than he was in the movie because of the interactions he's gonna have with Gwen._

 ** _P.S._** _This is **important** to know! If you guys have not read the novel (which I advise that you do) then you guys are gonna have no idea what I'm talking about since the remake (neither did the mini-series) didn't really mention it other than one or two small references, but the reason I keep mentioning the **Turtle** in the story is because the **Turtle** plays a big role. The **Turtle** (other wise known as **Maturin** ) is a kind and benevolent being. The **Turtle** is the one who had created the main stream universe by vomiting it out because of a stomach ache it had (as read in the novel). Anyways, the **Turtle** is the complete opposite of **IT**. Since **IT** is a entity of consumption, **IT** views the **Turtle** as an enemy. Because the **Turtle** isn't active within the universe (as it rarely leaves it's shell) **IT** views it as lazy and stupid. The **Turtle** though does hold a lot of power, but only ever actually intervenes when Bill did the Ritual of Chud (which sadly wasn't in the movie). Anyways, sorry for that but I felt like I needed to do a brief lesson. The **Turtle** is just an important element within the novel and I wished there was more attention brought up on it in the movie. Maybe they'll get into the whole **Macroverse** in the second part. That being said I still loved the movie, but for this story I'm gonna add a bit more of the novel (involving the **Turtle** ) because it has a lot to do with Gwen and why she has an important role to play within the Losers' Club. There is a reason why **IT** has both intrigue and dubious thoughts towards Gwen and that all has to do with the **Turtle**._

 _ **P.S.S.** A lot of you are wondering how old Gwen is. I would like to make it clear to my readers that Gwen is 15 years old. She's the same age as Henry Bowers and the others in the Bowers' Gang. Also remember she's two years older than Richie and he along with the others losers are 13 years old. So there you guys go. (: _

* * *

_"May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home."_ _― Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6: Let the madness begin**  
_

 _ **June, 1989**_

Papers were being carelessly thrown into the air as piles of students were hurriedly exiting their last class. Summer had officially commenced in Derry, Maine, and students were happy to show excitement in not having to go to school anytime soon.

Gwen Tozier and her best friend Francine Simmons were one of the many students who were trying to navigate through the crowded school hallway. Francine, blonde and perky, had a full on smile on her face. She was happy classes were finally over. While Gwen's excitement was more subtle. She instead had on a even-tempered expression and her smile was small and forced if anything.

The two girls got out of the way just in time for a older looking boy to pass by them. He was running towards the front of the school in a hurry as he shouted, _"School's out for summer! School's out forever!"_

Francine laughed at the comedic scene. "Looks like he's in a hurry to escape this prison. Maybe we should do the same thing." She joked to her best friend. The blonde however was a little muddled that her best friend hadn't joined in with the laughing. She turned to look at her as they now continued walking again. The hallways were getting less and less crowded now. "Earth to Gwen?" She called out waving her hand at her.

"Huh?" Gwen responded getting out of whatever dismal daze she was in. Unlike Francine, she wasn't really excited for summer. Sure, not having to wake up early in the morning and endure the teasing she got at school (it was more often now than before) was a plus, but for the most part the idea of summer had her more on edge. She had no idea why. Well maybe she did...

Everything (well for the most part almost everything) had gone to shit.

From Chase's death to Georgie's disappearance that was soon ruled as a murder and death with no culprit found, and now there was other kids " _missing_." Kids that were Richie's age. Betty Ripsom had just been of the many kids to have vanished. So how exactly was she or any kid in Derry supposed to have a good summer? The bigger question was, why wasn't anyone else having these same worries as her? There were times she wanted to bring up this topic with Francine or with anyone really, but the worry that they'll think she was crazy or losing herself to the black whole that was her depression again stopped her. She had managed to slowly get somewhat of a handle on her depression these last few months, but because of how low she had gotten she needed to start taking her ADHD medication more frequently than before, along with antidepressants. Which she hated taking because it made her feel like a total loon.

Gwen could see from the corner of her eye how Francine was waiting for her to give her an _actual_ response. She knew her best friend worried for her and because of how self-conscious she was about her thoughts, Gwen decided not to burden her with them. "Sorry...I was, uh, just thinking about this stupid dress I'm wearing." Gwen told her as she gave an eye-roll trying to show her displeasure with the outfit she was wearing. What she said was an excuse to get Francine to forget about how distracted she was, but it was also the truth. She did think the dress she had on was stupid.

It was a dark ivory colored knee length casual summer dress that had flower designs all over it. The dress way too girly for Gwen. Which just amused Francine, who was now focusing on the dress. The blonde haired girl was fighting the urge to laugh at how uncomfortable her best friend looked in the dress. Sure Gwen wore dress every once in a while, but she always chose the ones she wanted to wear. That's why she disliked this particular dress, because her mother had been the one to have picked it out. As she had told Francine, her mother had bought the dress without even asking her opinion. The Tozier woman just presented it to Gwen and expected her to wear it for the last day of school. Which as she's heard her best friend throughout the day say, Gwen was not at all happy about that.

Francine was trying her best to not annoy Gwen, but she couldn't help the giggle she let out. "I still can't believe your mom made you wear a dress today."

That seemed to get Gwen back to her usual talkative self. All sense of worries and self-consciousness were momentarily forgotten.

"I wanted to wear my new _The_ _Smiths_ t-shirt I bought, but she thought it wasn't last day appropriate." Gwen rolled her eyes finding the excuse her mother had given her to be very lame. "As if what I wear on the last day of school really matters." She briefly looked down at her shoes. "At least I got to keep my _converse_."

"At least it's summer time." Francine exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, and you're gonna go off and do your own thing." Gwen said with a low voice. "Remind me again why you have to go?"

"My parent's want me to know my dad's side of the family more. So it's off to Florida for me." Francine right away saw how crestfallen Gwen was getting again. "But it's not exactly gonna be a fun trip. I mean, I will have to help look after my grandmother."

Gwen immediately started to feel bad. Here she was feeling sorry for herself about her best friend leaving, that she totally forgot about Francine's grandmother's condition. As Francine had told her a few weeks ago her paternal grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The fact that Gwen had forgotten of such horrible news freaked her out. The thought of having Alzheimer's for herself scared her. It scared her more than spiders and more than that icky looking _Tarman_ from the _Return of the Living Dead_ movies. Which was saying something because those things scared the living hell out of her. Even when she had been little (when she didn't know the name of the disease) she had always been afraid of losing her memories...the things that made her...well her.

"You know that terrifies me." Gwen admitted to her best friend. When she saw the questionable expression Francine had Gwen decided to elaborate. She let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her dark colored locks. "I wouldn't want to lose my memories. Not even the sucky ones."

"Then I guess you're lucky Alzheimer's doesn't run in your family." Francine replied back to her. Yes it sadden her that her grandmother had a horrible disease like Alzheimer's, but she was one to guard her emotions when it came to her family. Plus she didn't want to cry in front of Gwen. She felt crying would only trigger Gwen's emotions. And she didn't want to see her best friend cry.

Francine's reassurance didn't help Gwen in the slightest. "I could still get it though." She worriedly insisted to her best friend.

"I doubt it. Now can we please move our conversation towards something else less morbid?" Francine asked softly.

That question had to be asked now, didn't it? Gwen thought as she and Francine stopped walking. They were now standing in front of the now empty locker that once belonged to Chase. Both girls were staring at it. Francine had sadness in her eyes of course but it wasn't as somber as Gwen's. The dark haired girl stared at the locker with a doleful expression. Finally she spoke and her voice held such sorrowfulness.

"He should be here with us."

Francine kept quiet letting Gwen have this impassioned moment to herself _―_ interrupting it would only make things worse. The heart rendering moment however was soon ruined.

"So the dyke decided to wear a dress today. How cute."

Both girls felt their bodies stiffen in defense. They instantly recognized who that voice to belong to. It was Henry Bowers and he was making his way towards them. Unfortunately to make things worse and as they saw for themselves, Henry wasn't alone. The rest of his goons were there too. Belch, Victor, and Patrick. The sight of Patrick alone made Gwen and Francine hearts start to race in apprehensiveness.

Henry was in the lead, followed by Patrick who was next to him, then Belch, and finally Victor _―_ who unlike his buddies was off a little bit further to the side. The sleek white-blonde haired boy was watching everything with a illegible type of expression.

"I think she looks _adorable_." Belch taunted before he let out a loud burp. This caused Gwen and Francine to scrunch up their faces in disgust.

"Adorable?" Patrick added to the ridicule. One didn't need to actually see him to know he had a grin on his face. His voice had been enough for that. His stare was once again making Gwen want to cover herself up. He bit his lower lip as he looked her from top to bottom _―_ his stare lingering around her chest area for bit. "There ain't nothing adorable about her." He snidely told the guys. "She's all woman. Trust me, I know."

Gwen's breathing picked up a bit at Patrick's lustful gaze. She mentally now severely cursed her mother for making her wear this stupid dress. The Tozier girl let her eyes wander around the hall hoping to see anybody intervene, but the few remaining students that where there didn't dare look their way. They all appeared trying their best to ignore them. She knew why though. No one missed with Henry Bowers and his gang. It was like a unspoken rule at school. Still, couldn't they see they needed help? She gulped when her eyes landed back on the group of boys.

Francine gave Gwen a side glance. The blonde could see how much everything was getting to her. "Just ignore them." She whispered to her best friend before grabbing her hand. "Come on, let's go." They had started to walk away but what Henry said next made Gwen let go of Francine's hand as she came to a stop.

"Aw, you're just gonna run away with your girlfriend? Gonna go eat her out some more?" Henry gave her a cruel laugh. He saw how Gwen was holding in her anger. This made his taunting increase. He gave her a withering look. "What would your boyfriend say? Or actually you know what maybe he wouldn't say anything. He did kill himself. What a fuckin' pansy he was." Henry muttered the last part causing Patrick let out a laugh. Belch too. Victor however kept silent. He was keeping a watchful eye on Gwen. Already he knew that Henry's last comment was about to get a bad reaction from her.

All of a sudden all the nervousness she had went away. Gwen actually found herself stepping closer towards Henry as she looked him dead in his eyes. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Henry replied giving her a condescending smile. "I said he was a pansy for killing himself."

Gwen could have handled the insults thrown at her. By now she had gotten used to the lesbian taunts she would get from him. So that was fine. What was not fine and what she couldn't handle were the insults thrown at Chase. _Never_. Acting out on pure rage, Gwen leaped forward and began hitting Henry mercilessly. "Shut up! Just shut up!" She vehemently yelled at him.

" _Wow_ , the kitty has claws!" Patrick bellowed with a nasty grin.

"Watch out, Henry! Looks like she's gonna tear you a new one." Belch said not at all taking Gwen's hits seriously.

"Gwen, stop! Stop!" Francine shouted as she tried getting a hold of her best friend. She was the only one trying to stop her. It was futile though, Gwen's ardent feelings had made her stronger. She kept relentlessly hitting Henry over and over again.

It was all fun and games for Henry. He was letting out laughs like there was no tomorrow. He found the Tozier's girl attempt to hurt him to be highly entertaining. That was of course until she suddenly punched his nose. That ceased his laughter. All of them became quiet after that. The hit had Henry muddled and he staggered back from her. It wasn't until he felt the dripping of something going down his nose that he composed himself. He touched his nose and once seeing it was indeed blood his glare on her intensified than ever before. It was a glare that made Gwen want to cower, but she didn't. She remained up front ready to strike him again. Her valiant behavior pissed off Henry even more. "You fuckin' bitch." He seethed moving forward to grab her.

Once he saw that Henry was about to be _real_ physical with her, and that she wasn't backing off, Victor acted quickly. He swiftly made his way towards Gwen before Henry did. Unlike with Francine, Victor had managed to get a hold of Gwen by her midsection and he carried her like that to the side, away from Henry's wrath. She however wasn't making it easy for him to diffuse the situation.

"Let go of me! Get off!" Gwen shouted as she tried getting out of Victor's surprisingly firm yet gentle hold. Though his hold on her wasn't anywhere near being painful, she still expected the worst from him. She thought now that he had her in his arms that he was going to let Henry get a piece of her. To her immense surprise, he didn't. Instead she felt him lower his face near her ear.

 _"It's not worth it._ " Victor discreetly whispered to her.

Gwen immediately stopped her rapid movements after that. What he said made the anger she felt falter a bit. Instead she became more confused by him. She took in what he said and carefully thought it over. Nothing came to mind for an explanation for his strange nonviolent behavior towards her. He's discreetly helped her out before but never like this...

Sure to the others Victor holding her looked like he was man handling her, but that was far from the truth. He was actually helping her. _Really_ helping her. Only Gwen and Victor knew this. Which is why when he and the rest of them heard heavy footsteps coming their way he was quick to let go of her. He wanted to stop things before they escalated. That however didn't mean he wanted get involved with teachers. It was the last day of school. He backed away as did Gwen. He went back to where Henry and the guys were standing and Gwen went closer to Francine's side. As Gwen did this she noticed how Henry was giving her a hateful stare as blood continued to run down his nose.

The stare match stopped when Mrs. Walters, the overweight History teacher stopped in front of them. "What in God's name is going on here?" Her voice was hard and Gwen could tell she was more irked than concerned. She had a feeling her teacher wouldn't be of any help. So she answered with a grim response. "Nothing." She muttered as she fixed her dress.

"Nothing?" Mrs. Walters repeated incredulously. She took in Gwen's disheveled state and Henry's bloody nose. "Is this what you call that? His nose is bleeding."

"She's right." Henry spat out as he used his hand to clean the blood that was running down. "It's nothing."

Mrs. Walters eyed the two teens taking in their answers. A few seconds passed before she took a deep breath coming to a decision. "It's the last day of school." As she said this Gwen took notice how tired looking her eyes were and how she had on a expression on her face that said she was completely down with their shit. "So I'm gonna turn a blind eye and let this go. Handle whatever personal conflicts you guys have with each other outside school property." Then right after she said this, Mrs. Walters walked off.

Gwen blinked a few times at her retreating figure going down the hall. She knew she wouldn't be of any help, but was that all she was gonna say? That was her damn advice? Seriously?!

Gwen and Francine had expressions of disbelief. The feeling of someone invading her personal space had her instantly backing up without looking. When she did look, Gwen was startled to find Henry leaning his face towards her. The Tozier girl didn't stop backing up until her back hit one of the lockers. She tried making her face steady but the crazed look Henry had was making it difficult for her.

"You lucked out this time, Tozier." Henry seethed. His eyes held complete malice. "I'm warning you right now, this summer you're _mine_. You better watch your back, muff-munching bitch." He then leaned away, holding his hard gaze on her until he reached his buddies. Patrick was grinning at how small and panicky she looked. While Belch couldn't stop laughing at her. Victor however was looking at her intently. He didn't stop his staring until the four of them finally left. Once they did Gwen started to breathe more loudly.

 _Holy shit._

"Oh my God, I can't believe that just happened. Are you okay?" Francine asked her best friend in worry.

Gwen took a few seconds to get a hold of herself. She then nodded her head. "Yeah...I'm fine." She told her friend as she moved away from the lockers. The Tozier girl started to feel her face with her hands and was glad to find no traces of Henry's blood on her from when he had been up and personal. Then suddenly a smile wanted to break free. She had made Henry bleed from his nose. Normally Gwen wasn't one for violence, but she had to admit it felt awesome to punch him. The little jerk deserved it. Downside...she was eventually going to pay for it.

"Why did you do that?" Francine asked shaking her head. "Now he's gonna be after you even more."

"I had to do it, Francine!" Gwen rebuked as they continued walking again. They were making their way towards the front. "I couldn't let him get away with the shit he was saying."

"What? The lesbian comments?" Francine asked her.

Gwen shook her head. "No, what he said about Chase. I couldn't let Henry disrespect him like that."

"But he's gonna go after you now." Francine reminded her again.

Gwen briefly touched her Turtle necklace around her neck. When she did this a sudden ounce of bravery entered her. "Let him try." She sternly told her best friend.

Her best friend sounded so audacious right in this moment that Francine was both taken back and impressed by her. As they made it out throughout the front door another sudden thought entered Francine's mind. She turned to look at her best friend. "I hate how he calls you that."

Gwen was viewing all the students that were still lingering out in the front of the school. They all looked so damn happy. Couldn't they see that something in the town wasn't right. Hearing her friend's comment, she turned to glance at her. "What? Muff-munching bitch?" It pained her how she spoke so easily about it due to how frequent she had been hearing Henry call her that.

"No _―_ well yes that too. But I was referring to dyke." Francine instantly felt bad for saying that. It was such an offensive word. She hated it how her best friend got picked on because of some ridiculous rumors Henry Bowers had made about her. Sure sometimes Bowers and his buddies picked on Francine, but it was nowhere near as awful as the bullying Gwen had to go through.

"Yeah, that ones pretty bad too." Gwen replied trying to sound as if those insults were no big deal to her now."But that's Henry Bowers for you. Get on his bad side or pay him the least bit of attention and he makes your life a living hell. I mean, you've heard the stuff he's said about Beverly Marsh." Gwen's voice harden a bit. "It's total nonsense. He's a flat out liar."

Francine looked towards the ground at the mention of the young red head. This made Gwen stare at her best friend in disbelief. " _Francine_."

"What?" Francine asked lifting her gaze. She let out a sigh when she saw how Gwen was staring at her. "I'm not saying I believe the rumors about her, but you don't really know her that well Gwen."

"So?" Gwen rebuked raising an eyebrow.

Francine moved her weight from one foot to the other. "So how can you really know it's not at least somewhat true?"

"Because I just do, okay? Plus it's Henry Bowers." Gwen said rolling her eyes. "Like I'd ever believe anything that mullet wearing asshole has to say."

Francine found herself giggling. "Mullet wearing asshole? That's a good one."

"I got it from Richie." Gwen confessed with a small smile appearing on her face.

The sound of a car honking caught their attention. Francine waved at the driver inside the car. "That's my mom. I'll call you tomorrow morning before I leave, kay?"

Gwen nodded her head. Sadness was creeping up on her due to her best friend leaving. Francine saw this in her eyes and quickly brought her into a hug. "I'll see you soon. Try to have a good summer."

Gwen returned the hug but she didn't respond to what she said. Try to have a good summer? She didn't think that would be possible...not in Derry. She ended the hug and then offered her a convincing smile. Francine's mother honked one more time making Francine hurriedly make her way towards the car. Once she got in, the blonde gave her one final goodbye wave as the car drove off.

Despairing feelings were trying to resurface. Gwen quickly shook them down and went towards the bike rack. Her mother had been beyond displeased in the morning when she had seen her ride her bike to school in a dress. Gwen couldn't give a damn. Sure it was uncomfortable to ride a bike with a dress, but she wasn't about to go walking to school. It was too damn hot and her mother wasn't able to give her a ride. So she figured, screw it, she'd ride her bike. Let people talk crap...they already did anyways.

Just as she was about to ride away on her bike, Gwen saw the familiar car that belonged to Belch Huggins. It was a blue _Trans Am_ and it was now driving away. What got to Gwen was that it hadn't been that far away from where her younger brother Richie and his friends where at. They all had on annoyed and worried expressions on their faces. Protectiveness arose in Gwen when she saw this and she quickly got on her bike and peddled her way towards them. If Henry or any of his shit headed friends messed with her brother or any of them there'd be hell to pay. She'd punch Henry again if she had to. Only this time in a spot where she knew would have him crying like a little sissy.

"Hey guys." Gwen greeted once she reached them. She right away knew all the boys. How couldn't she? They were three of Richie's closest friends.

There was Bill Denbrough, who she was already friends with. Gwen had worried at first that the friendship between them would fall apart because of what happened to little Georgie. It had been such a horrible thing for him (and for anyone who was close to Georgie). So she was expecting for Bill pull away from being around others like how she did when Chase died. But that didn't happen. If anything Bill became more closer with Richie and her. The Denbrough boy now spent a lot of time at their house because as Gwen had found out, Bill's household was no longer warm and welcoming. She had noticed this when Sharon Denbrough had stopped her piano lessons and ended her babysitting service. The older woman was still in deep mourning over her youngest as was Bill's father. It sadden her to see how Bill's loving parents were now cold and distant towards him. The poor boy didn't deserve to have such a lonely environment in his own home.

Then there was the Jewish curly haired boy Stanley Uris _―_ or just Stan for short. Stan who was the most well organized and mature boy she had ever met in her life. Seriously he was like a mini-version of an adult. He preferred things to be clean and for them to have a specific order. But when it came down to it, Gwen knew Stan was witty. More than once had she heard him say some pretty funny come backs to her brother. So Stan knew how to handle himself. Stan was also the boy who had a crush on Gwen (a crush that over the past few months was turning into something more serious). She however had no knowledge of this whatsoever. She just viewed him as Stan the Man. A good friend of her's.

The third friend that was there was Edward "Eddie" Kaspbrak. He like Bill and Stan, came over a lot to her house to hang with Richie. Gwen had a sisterly fondness for Eddie. He was very small for his age and looked fragile as well. Apparently (according to his mother) he had a lot to deal with. Asthma being just one of the many issues he had. Still Gwen made sure to treat him the same way she would treat anyone. She knew how overbearing Eddie's mother was. Sonia Kaspbrak was someone she didn't necessarily like being around. The overweight woman always gave her the stink eye. Eddie, thankfully was nothing like his mother.

Richie had given his sister a nod of acknowledgement when he saw her, but it was Stan who first spoke.

"Hello, Gwen." The curly haired boy gushed out. Even though he had seen her earlier in her dress, he was still having the same butterfly like feelings from before. From the corner of his eye he could see how Richie was trying to hold in his laughter. Stan quickly averted his gaze away from Gwen. Her attention was then directed towards the Denbrough boy.

Bill gave Gwen a small smile. "Hi, G-G-G-Gwen."

"Hey, Bill." Gwen said instantly feeling for him. Since what happened to Georgie, his stuttering had become worse. She'd lost the amount of times where she had hugged him in order to calm him down because of how emotionally frustrated he would get from not being able to to say a sentence without stuttering. She offered him a solace gaze before her eyes went over towards Eddie.

"Hey, Eds." Gwen smiled at the fragile looking boy who was much smaller than the rest of his friends.

Normally Eddie didn't like it when people called him Eds (especially by Richie). Except he was quite fond of Gwen that it didn't bother him when she addressed him by that nickname.

Eddie often saw her whenever she went to Mr. Keene's pharmacy to get refills for her ADHD medications. Every time he had ran into her there or even at her house when he was hanging out with Richie, Bill, and Stan, she had been nice to him. His mother Sonia didn't really have anything nice to say to about Gwen (but as he was starting to slowly realize his mother never had anything nice to say about any girls he's interacted with _―_ not that he hung out with any). Her main dislike towards the Tozier girl was because of the rumors she had heard about her. The many rumors of how Gwen sexually preferred the company of girls rather than boys. Richie had told him before that those rumors were all lies made up by Henry Bowers. But he also said if they true, who would give a shit? Now Eddie himself (and he knew the rest of his friends as well) didn't care about who Gwen liked. Girls, boys...what did it matter? His mother thought it was improper and wrong, but Eddie found himself disagreeing with her this time. At the end of the day all that really mattered was that Gwen was nice to him and his friends.

Therefore there was no hesitation when Eddie gave her a friendly wave. "Hey, Gwen."

"Are you guys okay?" Gwen asked them as her eyes stared at the spot where the blue _Trans Am_ had just been.

Richie putting on a brave act, waved his hand nonchalantly. " _Nothing we weren't able to handle, dear sister."_ He said using a English accent. Bill, Eddie, and Stan rolled their eyes at his foolishness. Gwen however gave her brother an amused smile.

"Right..." She drawled on before her attention once again landed onto Stan. She gave him a questionable stare. "Stan, where's your yarmulke?" She curiously asked the curly haired Jewish boy. She had seen him wearing it earlier in the day.

Stan shyly looked at her again."Oh, Patrick threw it at one of the on going buses." He answered glumly.

 _Stupid Patrick._ Gwen gave Stan an apologetic face. "I'm sorry." She said hoping that would make his despairing feelings go away. Then in a total harmonious way the Tozier girl reached to grab one of his hands. She gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go. An amused smile appeared on her face. "He's a flat out douche."

That got a bright smile out of Stan. His cheeks felt way warmer than before. She had actually touched his hand...

 _Wow_.

It was obvious to himself and now the others, (minus Gwen) that he was still trying to find his composure after the friendly touch she had just given him. He was now looking at her with a soft gleam in his eyes. The urge to say something else to her was eating at him, but he didn't utter anything out. It was then he realized how foolish he must have looked by how he was staring at her while saying nothing. Thankfully Richie spoke up making Gwen look away from him. Stan had no idea if his bespectacled friend did this on purpose or if he was helping him out so he wouldn't look like a bigger idiot. Either way he was glad for Richie's motormouth.

"Speaking of douches, did you really punch Henry Bowers in the nose?" Richie asked his sister. There was eagerness in his tone of voice. She could see how the rest of the boys were just as eager to hear her answer as well.

 _So the jerk must have told him._ Gwen nodded her head. "Hell yeah." She replied with an amount of self-confidence.

Richie laughed thoroughly impressed. "Nice. That's pay back for when he tripped you and made your nose bleed."

Gwen stared at him in shock. "Wait, you knew about that?"

"Why do you think I came home with a busted lip that one time?" Richie told her as he pointed to his bottom lip. A while ago Richie had came home with a bleeding and swollen bottom lip. Their mother had been furious and had grounded him for playing so rough. Richie had taken the grounding and didn't fight back. Now that she knew the real reason, Gwen's love for her brother grew. "I told him off saying he was a douche for doing that to you, and well he didn't take too kindly to that."

They had been so into their conversation that they sort of forgot they weren't alone. As Gwen had noticed (many times before) that tended to happen a lot _._ Once her brother and her would get into a conversation they just wouldn't be able to stop talking. She supposed that was just a given. She gave her younger brother a genuine smile.

"He didn't take too kindly to me either. Guess we both need to learn how to keep our mouths shut _―_ or in my case control my actions."

"Nah, if we did what would be left of us?" Richie jokingly asked his sister.

"Well there'd be less violence for us to endure."

"But that's the best part!" Richie whined facetiously.

"Beep beep, Richie!" Gwen exclaimed lightheartedly.

Now that got the whole group to laugh. Gwen cleared her throat, but a smile remained on her face. "Anyways, I'll let you guys go back to what you were doing. Stay safe." She said this almost in a motherly kind of way. Deep down she knew that they would okay as long as they stayed together in group. "Catch you guys on the flip side." The Tozier girl then started to ride her bike away from them. They all said their goodbyes, but it was Stan who shouted the loudest.

"Bye Gwen!" Stan shouted a second time. A heart felt smile appeared on his face when she shouted goodbye in return again. It felt like forever when in reality it had been only a few seconds. When turned to looked at his friends it was Richie who first caught his attention. "What?" Stan asked losing his heart felt smile.

Richie shook his head at his hopeless friend. His crush on his older sister was becoming more difficult for him to not tease him about it. " _Bye Gwen!"_ He mimicked him before his voice returned to normal. "Really? Dude you're so obvious now it's not even that funny anymore."

Stan thew Richie a narrowed look. "Shut up, Richie!" He harshly whispered to him.

"Stan, it's o-okay. We know." Bill stuttered out.

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah man like Richie said, it's pretty obvious."

Stan felt his face turn beet red in front of his friends. If they knew...did that mean...

"Do you think Gwen knows?" He asked, embarrassed.

Bill and Eddie gave him looks of uncertainty. Richie on the other hand shook his head. "Nah, it seems like Gwen's the only who hasn't noticed."

Stan should have been relieved, but a large part of him was hurt. "What? How's that possible?"

"Because she thinks of you as a little brother, duh. Plus you know she's not over you know who." Richie said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Isn't t-t-that what you w-want S-S-Stan? For G-G-Gwen to not know about yo-yo-your crush?" Bill asked him. He had to control his emotions as he spoke. His stutter would get the best of him, but he wasn't about to let it get him this time.

Stan sighed, still hurt. "I guess..." His gaze flickered towards the direction Gwen had gone to. "Do you know where she's going?" He asked thoughtfully.

Richie shrugged his shoulders. "Probably the library. She's been hanging there a lot lately. Don't see the appeal of it though."

"That's because it involves books." Eddie commented jokingly. That remark had them (including heart wounded Stan) releasing smiles and laughs.

"You wound me with your quips, Eddie Spaghetti." Richie laughed as he playfully ruffled his hair.

Eddie stopped laughing as he pushed his hand away. A frown now graced his much youthful looking face. "How many times have I told you? Don't call me that. You know I hate it."

Richie remained jest with him and ruffled his hair once more. Their banter finally came to an end when Bill informed them it was time to go. Summer had just started, but for the Denbrough boy he had more important things to think about than just having fun in the sun. He had a plan in mind that he wanted to share with his friends for what he wanted to do this summer and that all started with the Barrens.

As they each rode their bikes, following Bill's path, Stan glanced over his shoulder one last time towards where Gwen had gone. Although relieved she wasn't aware of his crush, it still hurt him dearly. Did that mean he was going to tell her he liked her? No. An actual rejection from her would have made things worse, not to mention awkward.

Her lack of interest though didn't stop his feelings for her whatsoever.

If all Gwen wanted was to be his friend then so be it. He'd accept that...even if it did break his heart.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Helloooo! Thanks again for such a wonderful response! You guys are amazing! I hope my explanation in the last chapter help clarify a few things. Anyways, I have a feeling you guys are really going to like this chapter. (: Also if you have a Tumblr and aren't following me yet but want to, my Tumblr name is: **ava-marie-faye.** Follow me if you want and don't be shy to ask me questions. I always like talking to my readers and answering their questions as best as possible. __Happy readings!_

 _ **P.S**. A lot of you have been asking me if the movie full on scared me. Honestly I'm a huge fan of horror so it takes a lot to actually get me really scared as in jump in my seat and scream. But there was one scene in the movie that really got to me and that's the slide show projector scene in Bill's garage. If you guys have seen the movie you know why. o.O I was expecting a scare but not that intense. Rest assured I will have chills when I eventually write that scene in the story._

 _ **P.S.S** Did anyone else get teary eyed during the blood oath scene? Just the whole scene with all seven of them together and the music the movie played had me almost bawling. Cause if you think about it * **SPOILER?** * that's technically the last time all seven of them are together. It makes me sooo sad. And then they had Stan and Eddie leave first and that was just too much for me. Talk about sad foreshadowing. Sorry if this spoiled it for anyone but I mean it's not really a spoiler because it happened in the mini-series and in the novel. It's still sad tho. :(_

* * *

 _"Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer-both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams."_ _― Bram Stoker, Dracula_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7: Nightmare_**

There was a time in her life when the library had been Gwen's least favorite place to visit.

As of lately though the library had become her to go place for whenever she wanted to escape her life. Momentarily that is. Sure the movie theater was a good way to seek a distraction, but she was starting to find out that reading books was a lot more engrossing than going to the movies.

On her way to Derry's public library, Gwen's attention was grabbed twice. The first time was because she had almost crashed her bike with someone else's. She was passing by a open alleyway next to the butcher shop, when out of the blue a boy came peddling down from there. He was dark skinned and because of this Gwen recognized who he was. In Derry there weren't a lot of colored people and because of this those who were colored were often ostracized. It was something Gwen was starting to notice in the small town and it was something she did not agree with. Gwen didn't judge a person based on the color of their skin, that was absurd. She focused more on who they were on the inside and how they treated others

Now Gwen didn't know the boy's name. She remembered Richie telling her the boy was home schooled. The two siblings would occasionally see the boy ride his in bike through town because of the deliveries he made to the butcher shop. But the Tozier girl had never actually talked to him before. Until today...well if you can even call it that. She had asked if he was okay because he looked pretty spooked out by something. He responded unsettled and due to this she wasn't able to comprehend him. She wanted to calm him down but before she was able to do that, the boy gave her a apologetic expression, whispered sorry, and then rode his bike passed her.

Gwen was left behind, puzzled.

The second time her attention was grabbed was when she was locking her bike in front of the library. Not that far away was Betty Ripsom's mother. The older distraught woman was yet again posting flyers around. Gwen felt sad by this. Betty had been missing for some time now and as much as it pained her to think so, the young girl's chances of coming back were low. Betty's mother though hadn't come to conclude that...and that just made Gwen feel even more sympathy for her. Not only that but dismayed feelings of Georgie's own disappearance were coming to her emotional surface. Before they were able to do so, Gwen got a hold of herself and managed to push down those feelings. She didn't want to cry...this wasn't the time to do so.

After those two attention grabbing scenes, (one being puzzling and the other being hurtful) Gwen was now in the library. She was in the poetry section looking for a specific book in mind. She expected to find it quickly since she had seen it the other day. To her surprise it wasn't there. Perhaps someone checked it out, or Mrs. Starrett took it off the shelf...there was only one way to find out for sure. With a huff, Gwen made her way towards the main check out desk. On the way there she passed a wall that had a bunch of filers on it. The one that stuck out the most was the same one she had seen everywhere at school...the curfew one. She stopped to stare at it.

 **Remember The Curfew**

 **7:00 P.M.**

 **Derry Police Department**

It was nowhere being near seven, so Gwen was still in the green zone. That didn't exactly make her feel safe. She looked away and hurriedly walked further from it. As she neared the check out desk her uneasiness turned into ruefulness. There standing behind the desk was Mrs. Starrett. She was a studious looking woman who was well into her years. When she saw her approach her eyes harden.

Gwen right away offered the older librarian a deferential smile. "Hello, Mrs. Starrett." She stood in front of her shifting her weight from one foot to another.

Mrs. Starrett eyed her with distaste. Granted it was mild but it was still shown in her eyes. "Miss Tozier." She said unenthusiastically. "What is it that you need?"

Gwen let out a low sigh, her smile faltering. She shouldn't complain about Mrs. Starrett's unfriendly behavior. After the way she had behaved when she was little she could grasp why the librarian acted negatively towards her. It was one of the cons of coming to the library, but it wasn't one that she would let drive her away. She remained well mannered with her. "I couldn't find a book that was there the other day. Can you see if it was checked out or if perhaps it's somewhere in the back?"

"And the name of this book?" Mrs. Starrett asked raising a brow.

" _The Waste Land_ by _T.S. Eliot_." Gwen right away answered.

Mrs. Starrett didn't even need to look at her check out book list. "Ah, yes, that was indeed checked out."

Gwen frowned. "By who?"

Mrs. Starrett eyes wandered around the almost empty library. Her eyes slightly widened when they landed on who she was looking for. "By that young boy over there."

Gwen followed her gaze and right away saw who she was staring at. It was a young boy, probably the same age as her brother. He was heavy set and had light brown hair. His weight though didn't have her staring at him in amusement or anything like that. No, her attention was more towards the book he was reading...the poem book she wanted to check out for herself. Darn. She turned to stare at Mrs. Starrett. "Is there more copies in the back?" She asked hopefully. Mrs. Starrett firm expression was enough of an answer for her. "Right..." She drawled on.

"You could always ask." Mrs. Starrett suggested before she walked off.

 _Gee, thanks._ But she did have a point...she could always ask. Gwen made her way towards where he was sitting at. As she got closer she saw a bunch of other books surrounding the table he was at. She stopped once she reached his table. "Hey..." Gwen said trying to get his attention. She spoke normally since the library wasn't that full and those who were there were either sleeping with their heads down on the table or staring off into space. Except for this kid. When he didn't look up again, she raised her voice a bit louder. "Hey kid." Gwen greeted gaining his attention. She saw how his eyes slightly widen when he saw her.

"I'm sorry." He said ready to get up from his chair. "I'll move."

When she saw how was getting ready to leave, Gwen was quick to stop him. "Wow, chill, I'm not asking you to move."

"Oh, I just assumed..." The boy shook his head, sheepish. "Sorry..." He whispered and then he sat back down.

"Nothing to be sorry for." Gwen reassured him." I was going to ask if you're almost done reading that book." She pointed to said book that she had wanted."If not that's okay. I just figured I'd ask."

The boy quickly closed the book. "Oh, yeah you can have it. I wasn't actually going to read the whole thing. I was skimming through it for ideas of some sorts." He said handing over the book to her.

"A man of poetry how nice." Gwen smiled as she accepted the book from him. "And did the book help you?"

"Not really, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind." He said disappointingly.

"Well I don't blame you. _T.S. Eliot_ isn't for everyone." Gwen commented, good-natured. "I wouldn't panic though because you have a bunch of other books here to help you out." Now that she was next to him she got a better view at what exactly was on the table. Her eyebrows furrowed at all the paperwork that was there.

"You working on a summer school project already?" Gwen asked the boy. This looked like some pretty serious research.

"Uh, no." He sheepishly answered.

Gwen tilted her head. "You mean you're doing this out of your own summer vacation time?"

He lowered his eyes and nodded his head.

"Wow, what are you working on?" Gwen asked kindly.

He was taken by surprise with how genuinely interested she sounded. He expected her to laugh at him and call him a nerd, but she didn't. He lifted his gaze back onto her. "Just information on the town. The history of it."

"I've never met a kid who's so interested in the history of our lovely town." Gwen said in a droll like way."My brother hates reading, besides comics." She laughed. "It's actually quite funny. He gets good grades but hates doing the work." The laughing stopped when she saw the bewildered expression on the boy's face. It was then she finally realized that throughout whole time she hadn't even introduced herself to him. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I tend to do that often." She stuck out her hand towards him. "Gwen Tozier."

Her constant talking for some reason made his embarrassment go away for a bit. He saw how she was waiting for him to shake her hand and he gladly did so. "Ben Hanscom." He introduced himself shaking her hand. When they let go he gave her a look of realization. "Tozier... say you're related to Richie?"

Gwen nodded her head. "Yup, I'm his older sister."

"I know your brother." Ben told her. There was a pause after he said this and he quickly went in to correct himself. "Well not really. We were in a few classes together but I never actually got to talk to him. Which is weird because he always talked in class like nonstop." He thought carefully on what he said and his face turned into sheer embarrassment. He shouldn't have said that. Now she was going to think he was easily annoyed by her brother (which wasn't true). To Ben's surprise, Gwen had a smile on her face.

"Yeah, that's Richie for you." She responded laughing a bit. "I'm sort of the same way. Hyper active tendencies is common theme with us, Toziers. Well at least for him and I." Her attention was then directed towards his backpack...or more specifically towards the object that was poking out of it. Her smile grew. "Hey you have a Walkman, cool. I do too."

Ben was trying his best to keep up with her. Based on this interaction with her, he could definitely see the relation between her and Richie. Other than the facial similarities. Her talkative nature wasn't something he was viewing down upon. It actually felt nice talking to someone. He's been here for a while now and this was the second time someone was _actually_ talking to him. The first being Beverly Marsh. The lovely redhead who had not only talked to him but who had signed his year book. His heart fluttered at the thought of her. She too had seen her Walkman and had innocently poked fun at his music choice. When he felt his cheeks becoming warm he shook his head. "Yeah..." He uttered back to Gwen. He cleared his throat. "What music do you listen to?"

Instead of telling him, Gwen decided to let him find out his own. She opened her backpack and pulled out her Walkman. "Here do switches." She said handing her Walkman to him. Ben, who was first a little taken back, stared at her. Her kind smile though made him act. She took a hold of his once he had hers.

Ben put on her headphones and pushed play on the Walkman. A smile appeared on his face when a familiar song entered his ears." _Wild, Wild Life_?" He asked with amusement.

"What?" Gwen asked slightly on defense. Her defense though was more lighthearted than serious. She shrugged her shoulders. "I like _Talking Heads_. Don't judge." _Wild, Wild Life_ was her jam. It was just one of the many songs she would dance to. Richie often commented on how ridiculously funny her dancing was. Except that didn't bother her because whenever she was losing herself to the music she couldn't care less with how silly she looked.

"I'm not. I mean, I listen to _New Kids On The Block_." Ben shyly informed her, once again feeling embarrassed about his liking towards the band. He gently put her Walkman on the table.

"There's nothing wrong with _New Kids On The Block."_ Gwen told him merrily. "Their new song _The Right Stuff_ is catchy. I'll admit, I danced to it when I first heard it and I have no regrets." After she said this put tried out his Walkman and smiled at the song that played. " _Hangin' Tough_. Now this is indeed a catchy song." She bobbed her head and mouthed some of the lyrics. She stopped her foolishness when a loud cough was heard. Gwen took off the headphones and turned around to where such noise was heard. She came face to face with a displeased Mrs. Starrett.

"Miss Tozier this is a library. A place for reading not dancing. Now control yourself before I have to ask you to leave." Mrs. Starrett said in a hard voice.

Gwen gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry, Mrs. Starrett. I'll stop now."

Mrs. Starrett kept her stare a little bit longer. Finally, she then went back to the check out desk. Gwen looked at Ben with a apologetic expression. "Sorry about that." She said as she handed him his Walkman and grabbed hers. "She doesn't really like me."

Ben gave her a curious gaze. "Why's that?" As he has come to find out with the constant time he has spent here, Mrs. Starrett wasn't the most warmest and friendliest librarian, but the way she had stared at Gwen let him know there was a meaning behind her hostility.

Gwen sighed, becoming serious. She stared at Ben and as she did this the words flowed out of her mouth. She had barely met him but talking to him was so easy. Well talking for her had always been easy. There was however amity in the air that made it extra easy. So she found herself telling him the reason why Mrs. Starrett disliked her so much.

"When I was in the third grade my class would visit the library a lot for reading sessions and we had to pick buddies to read with. Unfortunately my friend Francine wasn't in that class with me and no one else wanted to be my buddy...so I was left on my own." Gwen lowered her eyes down a bit. "I wasn't too happy about that and adding my unhappiness with how I wasn't exactly a huge fan of the library just made for a disastrous result." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, what I ended up doing was coloring in all the books I would get my hands on." The dark haired girl scolded herself for this. "I know that's terrible and I feel bad just thinking about it, but I've apologized and the damages were paid for." The damages had been paid for thanks to her parents. Gwen remembered her mother and father had been so mad at her. Mainly her mother. It was one of those rare moments where all her anger had been directed onto her rather than Richie. She lifted her gaze to look at Ben. She gave him a sheepish expression."But as you can tell she still hasn't gotten over it. Not that I blame her. That was a shitty thing to do."

"I get it though." Ben mused softly. He did. He's not saying he would have done the same thing as Gwen with ruining the books, but he knew how it felt to be alone with no friends. He knew the feeling too well. "No one wanted to be with you. So you acted out."

"Yeah..." Gwen quickly fixed her wavering voice. "I should probably check this book out." She gave Ben a smile. "It was nice talking to you."

"Same here." Ben said slowly returning the smile.

"Oh, by the way..." Gwen said facing him once more. "If you're really curious about our town's history _―_ I know that I am _―_ you should ask for _The Old History of Derry_ book." She suggested to him. "I've been wanting to check it out for a while now but Mrs. Starrett for some reason can never find it for me. But that could be just an excuse. As I said, I'm not exactly her favorite person. But for you...I think she'll be able to."

Ben appreciated that. He made sure to remember that for later. "Alright, thanks, Gwen."

"No problem." The Tozier girl said ready to make her leave.

Before she was gone completely, Ben called her name. Not loud enough to anger Mrs. Starrett, but loud enough to catch the older girl's attention. When she turned to look at him again, Ben spoke without fully thinking.

"You're a girl, right?" He foolishly asked.

Gwen smiled at such question. "Last time I checked, yeah."

Ben flushed and went to correct himself. "What I mean is do girls actually like receiving poems, like Haikus..."

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, it's a little old fashioned but some girls like old fashioned. So, yeah."

Ben happily took her answer. "Okay. Thanks."

Gwen laughed at his silliness. "Bye, Ben." She said as she made her way towards the check out desk. Ben said goodbye by waving at her and once she was out of sight he lowered his hand down. Since moving to Derry all those months ago, he's never had a conversation with an older person like the one he's had with Gwen Tozier. It got him thinking...maybe not all people her age were bad. She sure wasn't. With this new thought in his head, Ben reached for another poetry book and opened it up to read it.

If this new poetry book didn't give him any ideas or inspiration then he'll just read the next and the next one after that. Hopefully by the next day or so he'll be able to come up with a poem that was worthy for Beverly Marsh.

* * *

Thankfully Mrs. Starrett hadn't gotten more angry with her. Once she checked out her book, Gwen put it in her backpack and then swiftly left the library. It was still a few hours away from curfew. So Gwen decided to stop by the local pharmacy to buy a snack. When she arrived at such location, Gwen got off her bike and leaned it against the wall.

Just as she was about to go in the pharmacy, noises that sounded like pebbles being thrown caught her attention. Curious, Gwen walked closer towards that noise and was surprised by who she found. There further in the alleyway was Beverly Marsh and she was throwing pebbles at the empty soda and beer cans that were around her. Well...she was trying. She kept missing each throw.

"You're not using your wrist properly." Gwen said making her presence known.

Beverly didn't jump nor make a noise of surprise when she heard her. Instead she turned to look at her with a mild bemused expression. It was bemusement not aimed at Gwen exactly, but more towards what she had just said.

"What do you mean?" The red head inquired.

Gwen came closer towards her. "Well you have to use both your wrist and fingers equally. May I?" She asked once she was next to her.

With no protest, Beverly handed her the pebble she had. "So first focus on your said target." Gwen began explaining as she narrowed her gaze on another empty soda can that was on the ground. "Once you have that in mind, make your grip tight by using your fingers. Then you're gonna want to bend your elbow and hold your forearm with your other hand. After that you'll bend your wrist back and throw it. The velocity you create by doing that should be enough to hit your target." After she finished explaining, Gwen threw the pebble and watched as it successfully hit the soda can. With a small proud smile, Gwen turned to look at Beverly again."Here give it a shot." She said handing her another pebble.

Beverly grabbed the pebble from her hand. She took a deep breath and then focused on which soda can she wanted to hit. Remembering and going after everything Gwen had just told her, Beverly finally threw the pebble. Her lips curled upwards in excitement from watching the pebble hit the target she had in mind. She now looked at Gwen with delighted eyes.

Gwen saw this and gave her a real genuine smile. The red head's sudden jaunty demeanor was contagious."See? What I tell you."

"Thanks." Beverly said with a small smile still on her face. She bent down to reach for her backpack and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. She took one out but when she straightened her posture she looked at Gwen. "You want one?" She asked the dark haired girl. Usually she was stingy when it came to cigarettes, (since she had to steal them from the pharmacy whenever the close was clear) but she was willing to share with Gwen.

Gwen Tozier wouldn't classify herself as a hardcore smoker. She had a few smokes in the past before. She'd smoked with Francine when they where at her house, (parents gone of course) and then she'd also smoked all by her lonesome as well. She didn't do it often, only when she was stressed out and was in need of a _major_ release of emotions. Right now she wasn't stressed or in need of a release, right now she was just in the company of Beverly Marsh. The young redhead who was nice enough to share her cigarettes with her. The redhead she was getting along with. The cordial atmosphere made Gwen nodded her head.

"Sure."

Beverly took out another cigarette from her backpack and handed it to Gwen. She then lit both their cigarettes using the lighter she had. She moved over to the alley wall and leaned against it. "So, was that a technique you learned in softball?" She asked her after taking a drag from her cigarette. Even though Gwen was in high school and she herself was two years younger than the dark haired girl, Beverly had gone to quite a few of her games. The girls softball team in Derry was really good. They sure were a lot better than the other teams in both the middle school and high school. But the one thing Beverly liked was that the girls softball team was way better than the girls field hockey team. The girls softball team members were also a lot nicer too. Were they buddy buddy with her? No, (she didn't have any female friends) but at least they didn't make her life a living hell like Greta and her bitchy field hockey friends did.

The Tozier girl followed her lead and leaned against the same wall. After doing so, Gwen lightly put the cigarette in her mouth and then inhaled and exhaled. The familiar taste of nicotine invaded her senses. Once getting a hold of herself, Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah, but there's an easier way to get you to hit your target."

"How?" Beverly asked, curious.

Gwen exhaled another puff of smoke. Her voice suddenly turned earnest. "Just imagine the one person's face you dislike the most. It gives you an extra motivation to not want to miss."

Beverly took her words. With a resolute expression, using the hand that wasn't holding her cigarette, she bent down and picked up another pebble from the ground. Straightening her posture once more she looked around for a target. Her eyes narrowed in focus onto a empty beer can. A series of different emotions ran through her as she threw the pebble. A content feeling reached her surface when she saw it hit the can.

Gwen, impressed by her throwing skills, came to stand next to her again. Using the hand that wasn't holding her cigarette, she used all the anger she had for one specific person and imagined their face on the can she was about to hit. And when she hit the can, Gwen almost broke into a smile. Almost. There was now a compatible silence between both girls as they continued smoking.

After what felt like life time of tranquility, Beverly spoke.

"So who'd you imagine?" She asked giving her a meaningful look.

"Henry Bowers." Gwen was quick to answer her. She couldn't help the small scowl that escaped her. "What about you?"

Beverly was quick to look away into the distance of the alleyway. "My dad." She softly admitted to her.

The way she said it left a familiar impact within Gwen. Like Francine had told her before, she didn't know Beverly that well. But for some reason she already felt like she did. That's why when she spoke so low about her dad, Gwen wasn't surprised to feel a sense of understanding towards the redhead...like she felt her emotional pain. She had never actually met Beverly's farther, only caught glimpses of him. She knew for sure that his name was Alvin Marsh and that was only because he sometimes worked with the custodial team at the high school. Based from far away gazes, (and by Beverly's dour expression) Gwen was able to conclude that Alvin Marsh wasn't father of the year material.

And although she could not visibly see bruises on her, Gwen had an inkling feeling that there was some form of abuse going on. The Tozier girl knew there were many different ways for people to get hurt... _worse_ ways. Ways that Gwen didn't even want to think about. Her heart hurt. She couldn't right away claim this...she had no proof of abuse. She could ask Beverly, but she just "officially" met her and for her to ask such a odd personal question would for sure drive her away. And that was something she didn't want. Gwen wanted to gain her friendship not lose it. But still...she had to least do something...something that would enable trust between them.

"Bev?" Gwen called out. At first she didn't notice how she called her by that nickname. Addressing her by that just came so naturally to her.

Beverly flickered her eyes towards her. No ounce of annoyance could be found in her eyes from the shortening of her name. "Yes?"

Gwen put out the cigarette she had before she gave her affable expression. "If you ever want to hang out or talk about _anything_. I'm here."

Beverly once again took in her words. She made sure to put them somewhere within herself to remember for later. She had never told anyone this but she actually looked up to Gwen. The Tozier girl was one of the few older kids in Derry that didn't pick on her or partake on those nasty rumors about her going around school. In a way they were like kinder spirits since Gwen had to deal with nasty rumors and bullying too. What stood out about Gwen though was how she handled herself in shitty situations. She held such integrity. Not so much that it made her seem like a priss, but it was just enough to let others know she wasn't going to break so easily. Which is exactly what she wanted to let others know about herself. About how she wasn't going to succumb to their taunts. Not with the name calling, the cornering in the bathrooms, or the trash throwing. She was going to be like Gwen and keep her head high.

"Okay." Beverly ended up replying with softly. Her eyes held such esteem for her. "Thanks Gwen."

Gwen nodded her head. "No problem..." She then bent down to pick a few pebbles from the ground. "So do you want to keeping throwing?" She asked her already prepared to start throwing pebbles at more cans.

Beverly took one last drag from her cigarette before she finally threw it to the ground and stepped on it. A carefree smile broke out on her face and it was a smile that was directed to Gwen and only Gwen. "Yeah."

When they eventually parted ways, the two of them left on stronger terms, and with a blossoming friendship.

It was a friendship that neither of them knew just how meaningful it would become. A friendship that would soon bring along six other individuals as well.

* * *

 _She was running...running as fast as she's ever run before..._

 _She had no idea where the hell she was at. Only that she was somewhere dark...cold...and there was water underneath her feet...water that smelled..._

 _Then there was laughter...laughter that she knew didn't belong to a human being...laughter that's she's heard before..._

 _And then all of a sudden, she heard her name being called out..._

 _"Gwen..._ _Gwen...Gwen..."_

 _The voice turned taunting and even more frightening..._

 _"Where you going Gwen? Why are you running? It's pointless to run. Just come float! You know you want to!"_

 _She didn't stop running...she kept going...and going...and going..._

 _That was until someone grabbed her from behind..._

 _She fought against this person's hold, but it was futile...who ever they were, they had their grip tight..._

 _Her breathing escalated in_ _trepidation when she felt their sharp teeth against her neck...she felt her heartbeat go rapid...n_ _o human teeth could be that sharp. Just who was this? Or what was it?_

 _"Tasty beautiful fear...So sweet...So very sweet..." The inhuman voice chortled, pleased._

 _"What the hell are you?" She managed to say through her_ _consternation._

 _A louder amused laugh was heard and very quickly after she asked this, she was turned around to face such culprit. However, the first and last thing she saw were very familiar haunting yellow eyes and sharp razor like teeth..._

With a loud gasp, Gwen suddenly woke up. She was sweating and her eyes were wide open, panicked. She quickly tried calming herself down when she realized she was safe in her room and unharmed. It was just a nightmare...a nightmare that involved something that had yellow eyes and sharp teeth...

Gwen felt her stomach turn. The urge to cry and even throw up was still strong. She hadn't had a nightmare that involved yellow eyes and sharp teeth in years. And now she was having them again? Only this time she heard a damn voice as well? A voice that she has heard before when she had seen that damn red balloon. Denial ran right through her. It was only a nightmare, all of it had been. And it was a nightmare she planned on not that having again...

Just as she was settling down, Gwen felt something wet hit her cheek. Confused, Gwen was about to get up and turn on the bedroom lights but her tiredness got to her. So she instead reached for her flashlight inside her bedroom drawer. Once she had that she turned it on. She aimed towards the ceiling and when she did she instantly wished that she hadn't. There was a message and it was written in blood. Her eyes were wide with fear as she read the message.

 _YOU"LL FLOAT TOO!_

Gwen started to wipe at her cheek, getting the blood off of her. She then heard a squeak from the corner of her room. The Tozier girl shakily shun her flashlight towards the direction of such noise. At first there was nothing and she was relieved by this...but then ever so quietly she heard the familiar laugh enter her ear...right from behind her...

She turned around and she was met with something horrific...

 _Yellow eyes..._

That was it, Gwen lost her composure and she let out a ear piercing scream. She flung herself from her own bed and she landed face flat on her bedroom floor. As she was down there, she was fighting with her covers because of how tangled she had gotten with them. While she fought with them, all she was thinking about was wanting to get away from whoever those yellow eyes belonged to. She needed to run! But just as she got herself untangled and up from the floor, her bedroom door flung open.

Gwen panicked even more, but a sense of relief washed through her when her bedroom lights turned on. The first thing she did was look at her bedroom mirror and right away did she see that there was no blood on her cheek nor on her hands. She then gazed up towards the ceiling...there was no bloody writing...nothing. More importantly there was no one with yellow eyes in her room...

Gwen was stupor at the moment. Had she imagined the whole damn thing because of her nightmare? That had to have been why...it was the only thing that made sense...

"What is it?! Are you okay?" Richie urgently asked as he held her baseball bat ready to swing if he needed to.

Her younger brother caught her attention. If it wasn't for her panicked sate, (and bewildered one) she would have laughed. Instead Gwen looked at her brother extremely baffled. "Why the hell do you have my bat?" She found herself asking him.

Realizing that his sister was unharmed and that there wasn't any intruder to be seen, Richie lowered the baseball bat. He now looked to be sheepish yet slightly exasperated. "I heard you scream and I grabbed the bat from the closet. What else was I supposed to use as a weapon?"

Before she was able to give him an answer, Maggie Tozier voice rang in the air. "What's going on?" She stepped into the room. Gwen right away saw how tired yet irritated she was to have been woken up. Maggie's eyes widened when they saw Richie in her room with the baseball bat. She now looked between both her children in puzzlement. "What's the meaning of this?" She then saw how Gwen's bed covers were all over the floor. She did not like this. "Gwen, why are your bed covers on the floor?"

"I had a nightmare and I fell out of bed is all." Gwen explained to her. Which was the truth...because it had been a nightmare...only a nightmare.

Maggie frowned. "A nightmare? What do _―"_

"Alright, I'm here. What's the situation?" Gwen heard and then saw her father step into her room with a...lamp? She blinked, perplexed. Richie, however, was more vocal with his reaction.

"Really dad? A fuckin' lamp? That's all you got?"

His father wasn't bothered by his choice of words but Maggie sure was. The Tozier woman was not at all happy with her son cursing. "Richie! Watch your language young man."

Richie grumbled at her berating. Maggie threw him a hard look. "Go back to bed now. And put that baseball bat back where you found it. The last thing I need is you breaking something at this time of night."

"Come on son." Wentworth said making his way towards him. He could see how annoyed Richie was now at his mother. Richie spared his a sister a glimpse and said one last goodnight to her before he and his dad left her room.

Gwen just managed to whisper a goodnight to him, but she was too much in her head to really notice.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Maggie asked once they were alone.

Gwen had to compose herself before slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, it was just a nightmare..."

 _It had to have been...especially that last part._

"A nightmare, huh? It's been a while since you had one this bad." Maggie threw her a concerned look. "You sure you don't want to take anything?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, I'll be fine." She said trying to sound convincing.

Maggie sighed, tired. Her sleepiness won her over. "Alright if you say so. Sleep tight." She said giving her a kiss on the forehead. She then used the light switch on the wall to turn off the lights in her room before she closed the door.

"Just a nightmare. It's wasn't real..." Gwen whispered to herself as she clutched her Turtle necklace tightly. The necklace like always, instantly calmed her down. All the fear she had was slowly started to go away and tiredness soon replaced it. After a few minutes of self-reassurance, she was able to fall asleep again. No nightmares appeared for the rest of the night after that.

She felt at ease.

But there lurking in the darkness of her room was a figure. A figure shaped as a clown. The same clown that had been taunting her and the one she hadn't fully seen yet. Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Or as it was other wise known as...

 _IT..._

 _ITs_ yellow eyes glowed with anger as _IT_ watched her now peacefully sleep. _IT_ wanted to rip into her untouched flesh but the momentary protectiveness that was radiating from her necklace stopped _ITs_ advances. _IT_ stared at her necklace with abhorrence. For a entity that hadn't made itself known to the humans, the Turtle sure took a liking towards this certain human girl.

But _IT_ knew why the Turtle took such a liking to her and _IT_ hated the reason for why that was.

 _IT_ was not at all pleased by this outcome.

Not one bit.

 _Next time..._

When she was at her lowest and her guard was down, _IT_ would frighten her to her core.

 _IT_ would get her to smell even more sweet and delicious than she already was...

The Turtle wouldn't be able to protect her all the time. That was for sure.

 _ITs_ yellow eyes glowed before they along with the rest of _ITs_ body disappeared into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Once again you guys continue to surprise me by all the love you guys give this story. It means a lot it really does! I hope you like this chapter. We are now moving along with the movies plot (as you can already tell from the last two chapters). So enjoy this fluff of a chapter...before you know shit hits the fan...LOL. (: Also if you want to follow me on Tumblr and ask questions regarding any of my stories, the account name is: **ava-marie-faye**_

 _ **P.S**. I also found a perfect song for Gwen. It's " **Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" by The Smiths**. I think it's sad/beautiful and the lyrics reminded me of Gwen. I can just imagine all the Losers' hugging her while she's feeling sad and then this song starts playing in the background. The feels... Gahh, it's too much! ^.^_

* * *

 _"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."_ _― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 8: Patching and scheming_**

Gwen expected to wake up in a terrible mood because of what happened last night...but she didn't. She still woke up early because of Francine's phone call. Just like she had she would do, her blonde best friend called before she left for Florida.

They two girls talked for nearly thirty minutes straight. Sadly their phone call finally came to a end when Gwen heard Francine's mother in the background telling her they needed to go now. They said their goodbyes, with Francine saying she would call whenever she had the time to spare. Gwen in return just told her to not worry about it and to have a nice summer with her family. She also wished the best for her grandmother since she would have also have to be looking out for her too because of her Alzheimer's. A disease that still frighten Gwen to her core.

Now when the call did end, that was when Gwen began to feel her mood go down. She just felt...lonely.

Her best friend had just left Derry...

What was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to go back into that hole of depression again...

She was very unhappy, but she wasn't going to let her sadden mood get to her. After the phone call she stuck to her normal routine. She got up from bed, went to the bathroom, did her business, and then ate breakfast with her family. She even said with a bright smile " _have a good day"_ to her father when he left for work and even went as far as to help her mother wash the dishes. Anything really that would help distract her from her feeling of loneliness.

Due to her mission to keep those lonely feelings away, Gwen failed to notice how Richie had tried to talking to her throughout breakfast. Although that was easily their mother's fault. Since every time he was close to telling his sister something, Maggie interrupted him. Finally, disgruntled by this the youngest Tozier left the household saying he was going out.

This time Gwen had managed to give him a nod, but was brought right back into the conversation she was having with her mother. It was about how she and her should go shopping together some time soon. Now Gwen was lonely, but she in no way wanted to spend her free time shopping with her mother. Whenever she went out shopping with her mother she never got to pick the things she wanted. No, instead she got stuck being a barbie doll for her mother, and she would force the Tozier girl to try on all sorts of dresses and other clothes she would _never_ want to be caught dead in.

So no...shopping was the last thing she wanted to do.

Still, to please her mother (and for her to not cause a scene), Gwen half heartedly said maybe they would later on.

Her mother please by this answer finally let her go back to her room. Which is where she had been the last couple of hours. At first she had been a little nervous to go back in there because of the nightmare she had, but she just reminded herself that it was just that...a nightmare. None of it had been real. Not the blood, the laugh, or those yellow eyes...

After that little self-reassurance, Gwen stayed in her bedroom with no terror daring to come out.

The rest of her time was spent reading the poetry book she had checked out and listening to music. Only this time she wasn't listening to her Walkman. No, the music was coming from the boombox her mother and father given to her. A gift that she very much liked. First of all because it was another device that played music, and second because it had been a gift from her parents.

She knew the relationship between her and her parents wasn't always the strongest. There was definitely places that needed improvement (mainly with the way her parents acted with her and Richie) but at the end of the day she loved them. Even if they didn't treat her and Richie with the most understanding attitudes. Although that was something she wished for. For her parents to treat them more fairly and openly...

A sudden knock on her door made Gwen lift up her head from her book. Her previous thoughts faltered as she now stared at her mother. The familiar song of _Inside Out_ by _The Might Lemon Drops_ was being played on the radio, but all of Gwen's attention was on her mother. "What's up?" She asked her as she put her book down on her bed.

"Someone's at the front door for you." Her mother Maggie told her and Gwen right away could hear some discontent in her tone of voice.

This had Gwen frowning. She had no idea who could be looking for her. Whoever that person was, it was obvious that her mother did not like them. This just made her even more curious. "Who is it?" Gwen questioned as she got up from her bed.

Maggie crossed her arms over her chest."Beverly Marsh."

That made Gwen pause for a moment. _Beverly was here?_ Happiness surged through her but also a small ounce of disbelief. She needed to see for herself that she was really her. She moved to turn off her boombox before making her way downstairs. Her mothers uptight voice made her stop by her bedroom door.

"I didn't know you two were friends." Maggie said narrowing her eyes. "When did this happen?"

Gwen loved her mother...she really did. Except she didn't love the way she was being right now. And she especially didn't love the way she sounded when speaking about Beverly. "Recently." She replied with a impactful voice. "Now if you'll excuse me." She moved passed her and felt an odd sense of content when she saw the shocked expression that had set on her face after she said that to her.

Thankfully her mother did not go after her and Gwen made it downstairs just fine. When she walked towards the front door right away did she see that Beverly really was there. She was standing outside looking a little bit awkward and out of place. When the red head caught sight of her the smallest of smiles appeared of her fair freckled face.

"Hi." Beverly said giving the older girl a quick wave.

Gwen smiled at the red head. "Hi yourself."

The whole time Beverly made her way to the Tozier residence, it had been a _"should I just forget it and leave or should I continue?"_ The red head was mainly worried that she was going to be interrupting Gwen from her busy day or from her just wanting to sleep in. But judging from the black _The Smiths_ t-shirt, shorts, and black converse she had on, Beverly knew the teen hadn't been sleeping in. Still...maybe she had other things planned. "Um, are you busy right now?" Beverly evenly asked her. She sounded _very_ reserved.

Gwen shook her head. "No, why, what's up?"

Beverly grew more bashful. She briefly bit the inside of her cheek."Remember how you told me if I wanted to talk to someone or just hang out, that you'd be up for it."

Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah, I remember."

 _God this was embarrassing...but she couldn't back out now from asking her. She had come all this way for her help..._

Beverly let out a sigh. "I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this." Her cheeks grew warm as she picked at the ends of her long red hair. "But I think I'm about to get my period soon and I have no clue with what the hell to do next. I mean, I know _what_ I need to do...but I'm still _confused_." Her blue greenish eyes met her dark eyes pleadingly. "Can you help me... _please_?"

When she heard such a question being asked, memories from when she gotten her period for the first time entered Gwen's mind again. Reliving those embarrassing memories made Gwen cringe inwardly. Just how could she say no to her? If anything she wanted to help her more than ever. Gwen nodded her head, making the red head feel relief. The dark haired girl told her to wait a few seconds before she went upstairs to grab a few dollar bills from her room. When she went back stairs she didn't even acknowledge the disapproving stare her mother was giving her. She didn't have time to do so. She had to help out Beverly.

"Alright." Gwen said as she closed the front door behind them. Beverly was now beside her. They were starting to make their way to the one place the dark haired teen knew had the right supplies that Beverly would need.

"Come on. I know exactly where we need to go."

* * *

Although they had walked, the two girls had made it to the pharmacy pretty fast. Beverly felt glad when she saw the pharmacy was practically empty (for now anyways).

Gwen had immediately brought her to the aisle that had all the feminine hygiene stuff. The red head felt overwhelmed just being in the this specific aisle. She was thankful that Gwen was here though, it made the visit less awful. She stared at all the boxes that were lined up in uneasiness.

"Which one do you recommend?" Beverly inquired. Her eyes widen when seeing all different brands of pads and tampons the store had. This was just too much and too weird for her. Why did there have to be more than one brand? Weren't they all just the same? She looked at Gwen for guidance.

The teenager could feel the younger girl's nervousness, so she sent her a soothing gaze. "Would you prefer pads or tampons?" She calmly asked her.

Beverly still looked unsure. "I don't know..."

"Well each of them have their pros and cons." Gwen started off explaining to her. "I personally always preferred tampons over pads because of how active I am. Especially for whenever I played softball. Tampons made it was easier for me to move around without feeling like I had a diaper."

Beverly thought what she said over. Like Gwen, she considered herself to be more of an out and about person. So with that being thought over, she reached for a decision."I think I would prefer tampons..." She sounded so ashamed of herself for saying that answer aloud.

Gwen nodded her head. "That's alright. Like I said, I use tampons too. There's nothing wrong with that." She grabbed the one that would work best for the red head. "Here, get the tampax pearls. This is the brand I used when I first got my period." She advised her giving the box to her. "By the way, always make sure to get the ones that say regular. Unless of course you're having a heavy flow." Her voice suddenly turned serious. "But never get the ones that say they have cardboard applicators. Those ones hurt like a bitch."

This was a lot to process, but Beverly was doing her best to follow along. She nodded her head. "Okay." She said as she examined the tampon box she was now holding. Based on the cover this specific brand looked simple enough to use. She gave Gwen a small smile. "Thanks, Gwen."

Gwen smiled. "No need to thank me. That's what friends are for."

"Friends?" Beverly softly questioned. The word sounded so foreign to her.

"Yes friends." Gwen repeated strongly. "What? You think I go out and help every girl who's about to get their periods soon? Geez, what kind of girl do you think I am?" She asked sounding hurt. A smile broke out on her face when she couldn't keep up the act any longer.

Yes Gwen had told her that if she ever ended someone, that she'd be there. That enough should have been an answer for Beverly, but it wasn't. She needed an actual verbal answer in order to believe her. "Do you really consider me a friend?"

Gwen didn't have to ponder for long. Did she consider Beverly a friend? Why yes, yes she did. If she were her age, Gwen knew they would have been best friend. But since Beverly was younger than her, Gwen saw her more as a little sister, but also as a friend. She gave the red head a smile before releasing a laugh. "Bev, we're in the tampon and pad section. If that doesn't make us friends then I have no idea what will."

That got Beverly to crack a smile.

Gwen grew earnest and focused on track again. "Anyways..." She said clearing her throat. "You're also gonna need some kind of cramp medication."

"Why?" Beverly asked furrowing her eyebrows. "I mean, I have some cramps, but they're bearable."

"They're bearable right now, sure. Trust me, the worse ones always come when you least expect them. Cramps are sneaky bastards like that." Gwen rambled on. She was speaking from _personal_ experience, which is why she was taking this seriously."Now hopefully they won't be as bad as mine, but it's better to be prepared."

Beverly found herself agreeing with her. "Okay...but I only brought enough money for the tampons."

Gwen waved her hand. "Don't worry, I'll buy the cramp medication."

"You don't have to..." Beverly said trying to deny her offer nicely. That didn't stop the teen whatsoever.

"Nah, I want to." Gwen said with a smile. "I'm gonna go on the other side to go get it. I'll be right back."

After that the dark haired teen took off towards said aisle. That left Beverly standing there awkwardly, waiting for her to return. Another familiar girl's voice though had her eyes going wide. It was Greta saying goodbye to her father. If there was a downside about going to the pharmacy, it was the large chances of running to Greta Keene. It sucked major that her father owned the pharmacy. She did not want to deal with her crap at the moment. So, Beverly swiftly moved to the next aisle over before Greta was able to catch a glimpse of her.

However, when she went to the next aisle she was met with a set of familiar faces. Bill's, Eddie's, and Stan's from school. Embarrassed, the red head hurriedly hid the box of tampons behind her the exact moment they turned to look at her. All three boy's eyes widen in surprise when they saw her. Bill though noticed how diffident her eyes were. The same eyes he liked staring into. "You o-o-okay?" He asked her.

Beverly got a hold of herself. "Yeah..." She saw all the medical supplies they were each carrying. She narrowed her eyes a bit on them. "What are you guys doing?" She found herself asking them.

"None of your business." Stan responded, levelheaded.

It was that moment that Gwen finally showed up adding more hilarity to the scene that was unfolding.

"Bev, so I found the medication for cra _―"_ Gwen stopped talking when she saw the familiar group of boys. She quickly hid the cramp medication behind her back. "Uh, hey guys."

Bill gave Gwen a friendly smile. Eddie did as well, only his smile was more shier and along the way of greeting her he had almost dropped the medical supplies he was holding. "Hey."

Stan on the other hand was more affected by the older girl's presence. He felt his face start to grow warm at the sight of his crush. "Uh..." Thankfully the slight discreet nudge Eddie gave him allowed composure to resurface. So he spoke in a much brighter tone. "Hi, Gwen."

"Small word, huh?" Gwen decided to joke with a awkward smile. "So...what are you guys up to with all those supplies?" She asked once she saw everything they were holding. What exactly were they up to? Was Richie with them? She decided to ask. "Is my brother with you guys?"

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, but he's waiting for us in the back. He's with the other boy."

This had Gwen and Beverly nonplussed.

"What other boy?" Beverly asked.

Bill cleared his throat gaining their attention. "There's a b-b-boy outside that got hurt pretty b-b-badly. We're t-t-trying to h-h-help him, but we don't have enough m-m-money for s-s-supplies."

Using one of her hands (the one that wasn't still hiding the cramp medication), Gwen quickly counted the money she had. She let out a low curse when she realized she had nowhere near enough for even half of the supplies they needed. "Shit. Sorry guys, I'd buy them, but I have nowhere near the amount that's needed."

All three boys gave her looks of " _it's okay._ " From beside her, Beverly spoke up softly. "I have an idea." She said gaining their attention. She became more confident after that. "Stay here. I'm gonna up front to talk to Mr. Keene. I'll distract him and then when I give you the signal, just go."

"What's the s-s-signal?" Bill stuttered as he stared at her with adulation.

Beverly's eyes gleamed and her lips curled upwards. "You'll see." She began walking towards the counter, still hiding the box of tampons she had from the boys, but stopped when Gwen briefly yet gently touched her shoulder.

"You sure?" Gwen asked her. She couldn't help but worry a little for Beverly. Yes, Gwen knew stealing was wrong, but at the moment she didn't care about that. She was more concerned about Mr. Keene, the man who owned the pharmacy. From all the interactions she has had with him, he had been polite. Except Gwen always felt that something about him was a little _off_. It was as if he was just _too_ nice. Plus, just his overall look didn't help the creepy vibe he had going on.

Beverly, although touched by her concern, reassured her with a winning smile. "Don't worry, I got this in the bag." Which was true. Stealing items from the pharmacy wasn't nothing new for her. It was mainly cigarettes, but every once in a while it'd be other things. Except this was going to be different. She had no doubts though. She would be able to do this. "Just stay with them and go when the coast is clear. I'll meet you outside after."

Without saying anything else, Beverly started to casually walk towards the front counter. Even from where she and the boys were standing at, Gwen could tell whatever she was saying to Mr. Keene, he was obviously eating it up. While that was happening, Gwen looked at the cramp medication she had. From the way things were going it seemed like she wasn't going to need pay for it after all. She went to put the pill bottle inside one of short pockets, but mentally cursed herself when she realized the pockets didn't have enough room for it. She then decided to do something else. The Tozier girl swiftly put the medication inside her shirt, hiding it inside her bra. She took a few seconds to adjust her bra in order to make it more comfortable.

While she did this she failed to notice how the three boys beside her were looking at her.

Bill felt awkward that he had seen her do that and his eyes were wide. Eddie's mouth was agape and his cheeks tinted with a pinkish color. And Stan...well the Uris boy had felt his mouth go dry and the butterflies in his stomach were out of control.

When she finally felt their staring, Gwen slowly turned to look at them. "What?" She whispered unaware that they had seen her hide the pill bottle inside her bra.

All three boys just shook their heads. They couldn't form a verbal answer for her. Gwen just gave them a mild perplexed expression before her attention focused on Beverly again. She saw how the red head was now wearing Mr. Keene's glasses. They exchanged a few more words before she was handing the glasses back to him again. As she did this, Beverly knocked something over the counter. Gwen heard her apologize before Mr. Keene turned his back to clean up the mess. It was then that Beverly glanced over her shoulder and gave them a engaging smile.

That was the signal.

Gwen quickly went to the door and opened it. The three boys were in a very much daze like state as they made their way to leave. Bill more so because of Beverly's presence and smile. And Stan and Eddie were still dumbfounded by Gwen. Stan more than Eddie. Although, it was the small fragile looking boy who had accidentally bumped into her making him drop some of the supplies. The Tozier girl went to help pick up the supplies that fell and once she had them all, the four of them finally got out of the store. They were lucky they hadn't been caught.

"So who's this boy that got hurt?" Gwen asked as they were making their way towards the alleyway. It had been the same one where Beverly and her had been throwing pebbles.

With a small dream like gaze towards the Tozier girl, Eddie answered her. "The new kid."

Gwen became puzzled. "New kid?" She repeated as she juggled with the supplies she was carrying. Stan quietly took some of the things she had and added it to his hands. The Tozier girl gave him a thankful look. Stan just blushed and looked away. As usual she didn't think much of his reaction. To her that was just Stan being Stan.

Bill nodded his head. "Yeah, he s-s-said his name was B-B-Ben."

 _Ben_? Gwen's furrowed her eyebrows. There was only one Ben she knew in Derry...was it him? That question was right away answered when they went further into the alleyway. Right away did she see a seriously injured boy with a huge blood stain on his stomach sitting beside the mural wall. Her brother was there keeping him company. When he saw her coming their way, the Tozier boy waved and smiled. Gwen returned the gesture, but was more focused on poor injured Ben.

"Ben!" Gwen called out his name in alarm. She was now standing in front of him. She carefully handed the medical supplies she had to Eddie as did the rest of the boys. Eddie then started to clean up Ben's wound.

Ben gave the older girl a awkward smile as the small boy patched him up. "Hi, Gwen..." He greeted trying to sound cool. In an honest point of view, Ben felt pretty crappy right now. First he had seen that frightening headless boy in the library and then that scary looking clown, and then to top it off, Henry Bowers carved into his stomach...today was just not his day.

Richie (along with everyone else) looked at both of them, bemused at how friendly they already were with each other. His dark eyes then zeroed in on Ben. "Wait, hold the phone, you know my sister?" He asked him.

Before Ben was even able to let out a word, Gwen spoke for him. "We met at the library." She informed not only to Richie, but to everyone else as well.

" _Oh_ , so he's a library nerd too." Richie playfully teased.

Gwen rolled her eyes at her brother. "Beep beep, Richie." She then looked at Ben again, her dark eyes becoming soft with concern. "What happened to you?"

Before he was able to explain to her what happened, footsteps approaching caught all of their attention. Gwen used this moment to really see Ben's injury. Now that Eddie had somewhat cleaned the wound, she was able to see what looked like a letter _H_ carved on his stomach. She had a sick knowing feeling about who had done that to him...

"You okay? That looks like it hurts." Beverly's soft concerned voice filled the air. Her sudden appearance next to her and Bill, allowed Gwen to have a moment to control her emotions.

Ben's heart skipped a beat when he saw Beverly. He gently pushed Eddie's hand to the side and pulled his t-shirt back down so that it covered his stomach. He tried to appear more intrepid and nonchalant. He didn't want the girl he liked to see him as a weakling. Even though she probably already did...still, he kept the composed appearance up. "Nah, I'll be fine. I just fell is all."

"Yeah, right into Henry Bowers." Richie said, his loud-mouth getting the better of him.

Bill, Stan, and Eddie threw Richie looks, but it was Bill who was more vocal. "Sh-Sh-Shut it, Richie."

"Why it's the truth?" The bespectacled boy retorted back.

"Wait, so _he_ did do this to you." Gwen said with a hard voice. Now she knew for sure that the _H_ on Ben's stomach was because of Bowers' crazy ass. A full on scowl had broken out onto her face. "That demented _fucktard._ "

Her voice was hard and not at all playful, but her choice of curse word had Richie and the others (including Ben) laughing. "Demented fucktard, yeah that's Bowers in a nutshell." Her brother commented full on amused.

Their laughter had made Gwen's anger go away momentarily and she too joined in with the laughing. Her laughter was making the pill bottle she had in her bra move around. Slightly annoyed, Gwen decided to take it out. Embarrassment be damned. She reached into her shirt and once she had the bottle in her hand, Gwen threw it to Beverly who skillfully caught it. The red head then put it inside the plastic bag she had. The whole thing had been done fast enough so that the boys wouldn't see the label on the bottle.

They hadn't said anything out loud, just had on slightly shocked faces. Aside from Richie...he looked severely grossed that he had seen his sister reach into her shirt. And then Stan, who felt his whole face start to warm up. However a few seconds later it was Eddie who spoke up and without clearly thinking at all either.

"What was that? Were those birth control pills?"

Gwen was taken back by such a question. Where the hell had that question come from? Her face twisted in puzzlement and a laugh escaped her. "No, why in the world would I have or be giving her birth control pills?"

"Ya, _Eddie_. Why ever would you assume such things?" Richie knowingly asked his small friend. He wanted break into hysterics but controlled himself from doing so.

Eddie now felt really stupid for blurting out such a question. Seeing Gwen with a unfamiliar looking bottle of pills reminded him of the witty response he had told Richie earlier from when he had seen all his medications and made fun of him.

 _"Hey Eddie, are these your birth control pills?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm saving them for your sister!"_

He hadn't meant his comment. It had just been a joke. But to see Gwen with bottle that he _thought_ was birth control was bizarre and it had him blurting out a embarrassing question. Now he couldn't find a reasonable excuse, so he just went with a lame one. "It was just a question..." He uttered, averting his eyes away from the pretty dark haired girl.

Gwen didn't take his question to heart. If anything she found it more amusing, and she was pretty sure so did Beverly. "Well alright then." She mused. From the corner of her eye she saw Stan looking at her. She turned to look at him, and once she did Stan's gaze lowered. _Huh_? Gwen thought that was a little odd but didn't look into it.

"Anyways, are you sure they got... _the right stuff_... to fix you up?" Beverly asked moving the conversation along. As she said this, she gave Ben a knowing smile.

Ben right away got the joke. He blushed and nodded his head. The inside joke between the two of them was making him forget about the carved _H_ on his stomach and the pain that was attached to it.

"W-W-We'll take care of him. Thanks again, Gwen, Beverly..." Bill stuttered out. He thanked them both, but the awe-struck look he had in his eyes was aimed solely towards the red head.

Beverly too was looking at Bill in almost the same way. "Sure. See you around."

Gwen was reluctant to leave them, but the reassuring smile Ben gave her made her nod her head. "Okay." Something within told her Ben was going to be okay now that he found her brother and his friends.

Out of nowhere an idea entered Bill's head and it was one that he had to ask. Yes he wanted to focus on something bigger and more important during his summer, but the idea of just hanging with his friends was something serene that needed to be done. "We're g-g-going swimming t-t-tomorrow at the quarry." He looked at both girls and offered them a sociable smile. "You guys are welcome t-t-to come."

The idea of having Gwen with them tomorrow had Stan seeing bright colors. "Yeah!" He quickly added making everyone look at him oddly. He right away saw Gwen's stare and his confidence faltered. The butterflies were now fluttering around in his stomach. His cheeks and ears felt warm now. "It'll be fun..." He shyly and lamely told the Tozier girl. Even though he was looking at Gwen, the curly haired boy still felt Richie's pity yet amused stare.

Gwen smiled at how excited and shy Stan had become. She turned to look at Beverly waiting to see what she had to say. The red head was smiling at the invitation that was thrown at them. She hadn't answered yet because she was waiting for Gwen to do so. The older girl noticed this but she didn't want to be the one who decided. That was all on Beverly. So she shrugged her shoulders at the red head. Sure swimming did sound pretty fun, but she would only go if Beverly went. She didn't want to be the only girl there. Her friendship with her brother's friends hadn't reached that non-awkward and comfortable level yet.

Beverly saw her shrug and she threw Gwen a quick " _I got this_ " kind of smile. She focused her gaze towards the boys again. "We'll think about it." She said leaving them with a sort of cliff-hanger of an answer. She looked at Gwen and gave her nod, letting her know it was time to go.

"I'll catch you guys on the flip side." Gwen said her usual goodbye. She gave all five of them a goodbye wave before she turned around and starting walking away with Beverly by her side.

"I didn't know Gwen was f-f-friends with B-B-Beverly." Bill said as he watched both of the girls walk away. Even when they turned the corner, and were out of sight, his heartbeat went fast. His thoughts were all about Beverly.

Richie was just as surprised as him. "I didn't know either." The youngest Tozier then looked at Eddie who was still feeling foolish. "By the way, that was a great question you blurted out." Originally he hated that facetious comment Eddie had made about his sister while they were at his house. But now he was finding humor in it because it had backfired on Eddie.

Eddie groaned and told him to shut up.

"Do you think they'll show up tomorrow?" Stan asked sounding hopeful.

"I hope so..." Bill responded, once again his mind was mainly thinking about Beverly.

Richie threw Stan a pointed look. "You just want my sister to go because you want to see her half naked." After saying that he made a noise as if he was going to throw up. He let out a shudder as well. "Gah, that's gross."

"Shut up, Richie!" Stan shouted, embarrassed. "And way to go bringing up Bowers in front of them." The curly haired boy said giving Richie a firm look. "Especially Beverly."

Eddie pushed aside his embarrassed feelings. "Yeah, didn't you hear what she did?" He asked keeping his voice low but steady.

Ben who had been quiet and watching, had a confused expression set on his face. "What did she do?" He asked.

"More like who'd she do." Richie answered him. He was trying to make the conversation lighthearted. "From what I hear the list is longer than my wang." He joked to his friends as he pointed to his member.

Stan scoffed. "That's not saying much."

"They're j-j-just rumors. Kind of like the ones about G-G-Gwen." Bill stuttered out. Although he had a hard time speaking all four boys could tell how earnest he was being. "And we d-d-don't b-b-believe those either."

"What are the rumors about her?" Ben asked with a frown. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to spread rumors about Gwen...she was nice. He felt the same way about Beverly. Why did nice people have to suffer the most?

Richie grew sober now that he was talking about the rumors regarding his sister. "That she's a lesbian." He muttered. "It's not true. Henry Bowers just made that up because she wouldn't give him the time of day. And even if it was true, who the fuck cares. She could like whoever. People are assholes. Especially _fucktards_ like Henry Bowers."

Ben found himself nodding alongside the other boys, agreeing with everything Richie had just said.

Richie suddenly cleared his throat going back to his ebullient ways. "Yeah...anyways, Bill had Beverly back in the third grade. They kissed in the school play. The reviews said you can't fake that sort of passion!" After saying this, he along with Stan and Eddie sent Bill knowing looks causing the Denbrough boy to smile sheepishly.

 _Ouch_.

Ben's feelings towards Beverly were hurt when hearing this. Except none of the boys noticed the crestfallen expression that overshadowed his face. It wounded him to hear that, but by now he was good at not making his dejected feelings that noticeable. Richie clapping his hands made him jump a little from where he was sitting.

 _"Pip-pip and tally-ho, my good fellows!"_ Richie continued talking, only now with a terrible British accent. " _I do believe this chap requires our utmost attention. Get in there Doctor K, c'mon, fix him up!_ " He said moving Eddie closer to Ben again.

The small boy rolled his eyes at how juvenile his friend was acting. "Why don't you shut the fuck up Einstein, because I know what I'm doing and I don't want you doing that British accent guy with me right now. "

"Suck the wound, you gotta suck the wound!" Richie hollered with laughter as Eddie began fixing Ben up again. As he did this, Bill was the one who was trying to settle down their banter every time they were close to getting out of control. Stan was too. Well not really...

The curly haired boy wasn't one hundred percent there with his friends. No, his mind was else where.

All his thoughts at the moment were about Gwen.

Stan kept wondering if the dark haired girl would show up tomorrow...he felt his heartbeat pick up speed.

He really hoped that she would.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** You guys wanted more...well here it is xD Enjoy! To all you Victor fans, this chapter is especially for you guys. I really wished he had a bigger part in the film like he did in the novel, but alas that's what fan-fic is for. (: Also I'm loving how you guys are already picking who Gwen should end up with in the end, either with Stan or Victor xD But what makes you think she's gonna end up with anybody? After all **IT** loves to cause her misery, especially in the love department. Hmm...I'll let you guys chew on that * **hehe** * I'm __glad you guys are enjoying the fluff...just know it won't last long! Not entirely anyways. :P_

 ** _P.S._** _I don't really have a routine schedule for when I update, it's just whenever I have enough time to finish writing a chapter. I'm still in college and this semester I'm taking five classes. Sometimes I have no assignments but sometimes I do. So updates on this story will be random. ^.^_

 _ **P.S.S** I do not own any music or songs mentioned in this chapter. Also if you guys haven't seen the show " **It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia** " I imagine Gwen's dancing close to the character of Sweet Dee. It's freakin' hilarious. Look it up if you haven't seen the show. xD _

* * *

_"Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer." ― Jean de La Fontaine_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 9: Confrontations and swimming_**

After they left the boys, Gwen was quick to find out that Beverly had also stolen from the pharmacy.

The red head was able to attain a pack of cigarettes for herself and a pack of _Pop Rocks_ candy for Gwen.

Needless to say the Tozier girl had been extremely happy about that. She loved _Pop Rocks._ They were one of her all time type of favorite candy. She had no idea how Beverly knew this, but was she nevertheless glad.

The two girls didn't immediately part ways after leaving the boys. No, they hung out for awhile around town. For Gwen it felt nice having another female to talk to. Even if she was giving the occasional period advice to the young curious Beverly. The fact that she was helping someone with a subject that was deemed as embarrassing made the lonely feeling she had go away. A sense of delight flowed through her the more she and Beverly talked. Through the bonding they were going through, Gwen began to _almost_ feel like her old-self again.

The carefree and happy version of her. And that was because she had another friend now. A female friend. Someone other than Francine.

That alone made her want to start smiling the way she used to smile before...but she didn't. Sure she smiled and laughed, but it wasn't the same type of smile and laugh that would appear on her face from last year. That upbeat smile hadn't made itself present since Chase's death and Georgie's "disappearance".

So the Tozier girl's old buoyant like ways weren't quite there yet, but she sensed they were close. Her friendship with Beverly felt like it was a step closer to gaining her happiness.

Therefore, this time before they parted ways, Gwen made sure to give Beverly her home phone number. She had to ask several people that were around them for a pen, but she looked past the awkward and embarrassing conversations she had with them in order to get what she needed. When Gwen did finally obtain a pen she hurriedly wrote her number down on Beverly's hand.

The red head had been beyond amused by the dark haired girl's antics with the whole pen scavenging scene. The looks people threw Gwen when she randomly asked for a pen to borrow had been funny and Beverly found herself laughing to the point were tears had almost began to form. It was just that funny. At first she felt bad laughing, but when Gwen turned and saw her brighten eyes and slightly red face, she too started to laugh along with her.

They were both able to settle down when Gwen finished writing down her number down on her hand. Though they almost lost their composure when Gwen had thrown the pen back to the older looking man that had let her borrow it. The teen had said (without properly think) _"Thanks! Here catch!"_ and then threw the pen towards him. She expected him to catch it (as would anyone who would see a pen coming their way), but the older man wasn't paying attention and turned to look at her the exact moment the pen hit his forehead.

This right away had Gwen whimsically apologizing, but this only further annoyed the man. He gave her a glare as he picked up his pen and kept staring at her. His glare didn't falter even he roughly walked past her, muttering something along the lines of _"Rotten good for nothing kid..."_

It was then only when he was out of their sights, that both girls gave into their laughter again.

Although she was sorry to have hit the man on the forehead with the pen, Gwen couldn't help but find the hilarity in the situation. That was something she was going to remember, especially since it had happened with Beverly around.

That just added another memory with the red haired girl into her head. The Tozier didn't know this now, but that little pen fiasco was just one the many happy memories she was to gain this summer. The others that were soon to come were going to be more impactful and full of merriment. As it should be when dealing with growing friendships.

Unfortunately for Gwen not all the memories she was going to have during the summer of 1989 were going to be funny or even remotely good. _No..._ for the most part many of her adolescent memories were going to be sorrowful and frightening. Memories that unknown to her were going to eventually start to slowly fade away as she grew older...

Gwen though (or even Beverly) didn't have any knowledge of this misfortune. How could they? The was still other drastic events that needed to take place. It was getting close...but right now the two of them were just girls laughing with one another.

They were acting their ages.

They were almost to the point of complete exuberance.

 _Almost_.

They did however have a feeling of serenity.

It was a feeling that didn't fully go away for either of them until they each went inside their homes.

* * *

Magge Tozier had left.

Well she left to go to one of her friends houses.

Her absence hadn't surprised Gwen. Besides the note she left behind stuck onto the fridge, Gwen knew her mother was going to be out for most of today. On Saturdays (not all of them, but most of them), her mother would go out to visit one of her friends. Her reason being was because she and a few mother women in town were in a book club together. Which was true, her mother was in a book club. Except (even with her ADHD) Gwen was observant enough to know that her mother had not been reading a book this last past month. Unless of course she read at night in her room, but the teen doubted that.

The Tozier girl had a feeling her mother used this time to get away from all the responsibilities she had. It was the only time she got be away from the home life she had and it was because of this that Gwen didn't call her out. She figured her mother needed a break every now and again. If she didn't get any form of break, her moods would for sure be way more intense. And Gwen did not want that. Not for her or Richie's sake.

Her father Wentworth tended to do this as well. Only his reasoning was that he needed to get some work done in the garage, fixing his car or whatever he thought needed fixing. Nothing ever needed fixing though.

Like today, her father had been in the garage most of the morning. He had ate breakfast with Richie and her, but once he was done he told them that he needed to fix something involving the back up generator they had. That was total bull. Since locking himself in the garage neither Richie or her heard any sounds of tools being used. They did however hear what sounded like a radio announcing whatever baseball game was currently on. So yeah...that was a big clue.

Still, neither sibling called out their father. They left him to have this moment of peace.

Anyway, as their father was in the garage "fixing" the so called generate they had, Richie had gone upstairs to his room. Gwen was currently in the kitchen. Although Richie had helped her wash dishes, the teen stayed back deciding to clean a little bit more. She had the hopeful thought that perhaps cleaning the kitchen nicely would make her mother happy. Hence why she was sweeping the floor.

Gwen never minded cleaning. So she did the sweeping with a spring in her step. Well then again her extra enthusiasm might have been because of the song that was being played on the radio through her boombox. The Tozier girl had picked a random radio station and after the radio hosts stopped talking they played a catchy song that had her dancing around. And what song was it that had her so energized?

 _Working for the Weekend_ by _Loverboy._

Taking in the opportunity that she was by herself, Gwen started to use the broom as a microphone and she along to the lyrics of the song. As she did this, she also started to increase her dance movements. Her singing was on point, but her dancing not so much. Sure her voice was melodious to listen to. Her mother had always told her she had a beautiful voice. It was natural talent she had. Kind of like with piano. Now one would think (her mother sure did) because she was gifted with musical talents that dancing would come naturally to her...but no. Gwen's dancing was actually an amusing thing to witness. Richie had always told her that. Except at the moment her awful dancing didn't matter. The Tozier girl was too much into the song to even care how ridiculous she must have looked like.

 _Everybody's working for the weekend_  
 _Everybody wants a little romance_  
 _Everybody's goin' off the deep end_  
 _Everybody needs a second chance_ _―_

"What the hell are you doing?"

 _Ah, crap._

Gwen turned around and saw how her brother was now in the kitchen again. She should have heard him come down the stairs, but her singing and dancing had her distracted. Now here he was staring at her with an amused expression. It was clear he wanted to laugh his ass off. He didn't though and Gwen guessed it was because he wanted to hear what type of excuse she could come up with.

Now the way she saw it, Gwen had two choices here. She could have given into her embarrassment and blabber like an idiot, or she could act cool and playful towards herself. She was quick to pick the second option. Gwen swiftly put the broom against the counter and started exaggerating her dancing by lifting her arms in the air.

"What does it look like?" The Tozier girl asked as she comically moved her body around. Her arms still high in the air. "I'm getting my groove on."

Richie stared at his sister with an amused and questionable expression. "Gwen, you look like one of those dancing air puppet things in front of car dealerships." His sister was great at a lot of things. She was an awesome softball player and was talented when it came to singing and playing piano. Her musical talents however did nothing for her dancing because wholly damn she couldn't dance for shit. It was more funny than sad though.

Gwen scoffed as she continued her ridiculous dancing."Shut up. No, I don't."

"That's exactly what you look like when you're waving your hands in the air." Richie playfully replied back. He then imitated her absurd dancing by waving his own hands before putting them back down to his sides. "How is that dancing?"

Gwen stopped her movements. She lowered her hands and threw him a half hearted challenging stare. "Fine, how about you show me your moves then, huh?"

Richie looked at her with a " _yeah right_ " type of expression. "I don't need to dance in order to show you your dancing is awful."

"What are you, chicken?" Gwen asked with a low laugh.

"Oh no, don't try that _Back to the Future_ reverse psychology on me." Richie said pointing a finger at her. He wasn't about to fall for that trick again.

"Whatever. All I have to say is that my dancing little brother is top notch stuff." Gwen joked as she started dancing again. This time her arm movements were more whimsical. She threw her head back and forth making her hair messy and tangled. That proved to be a wrong move because soon long pieces of hair entered her mouth. She immediately stopped dancing and started coughing. "Okay, I'll stop now." She manged to say as she used her hands to get out the pieces of hair that went into her mouth. "Blah." She muttered.

"Your dancing should come with a warning label saying, _will cause hair to go into your mouth_." Richie said finally laughing his ass off. Watching Gwen's weird dancing and failing was too hilarious to not release any type of laughter. He saw his sister playfully roll her eyes at his comment. He took a few seconds to compose himself before he spoke again. "Anyways, are you going today?" He asked getting back to the question he had wanted to ask before her terrible dancing made him momentarily forget.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders as she tried fixing her hair back into place. "Uh, not sure." Which was true. Even though she and Beverly hung out yesterday, they didn't really focus on the invite that was given to them by the boys. They had been more into getting to know each other instead. So Gwen had no idea if they were going or not. Maybe Beverly would show up like last time, or call to let her know what's up. Gwen hoped that she would.

This answer had Richie's smile falter a little. "Oh..." He said sounding disappointed before he cleared his throat. "Well, can I borrow your boombox?"

The Tozier girl nodded her head. "Sure, but if you break it you shall have to endure my wrath." She said giving him a faux narrowed look.

Despite her joking manner, Richie knew to take her warning seriously. His sister was cool and all, but heaven forbid if he broke or ruined one of the few things that she liked or even loved. He remembered when they had been younger, he accidentally ruined her favorite teddy bear _―_ Mr. Snuggles. She had gotten it when she had turned five for her birthday by their father. And even by the age of ten, Gwen loved that stuffed animal. That was until Richie dropped grape juice all over it. It was a complete accident but no matter how much their mother had tried washing it the stains wouldn't come off. Despite him apologizing, Gwen was mad. She didn't talk nor engaged him in any type of communication for almost a full week. But of course, his sister couldn't keep ignoring him forever. She let the grudge falter. If one were to ask her if she was still mad though, she'd probably say no.

But now that she was older, at the age of fifteen, she had other materials that she held close to heart. Her boombox being one of them. Richie couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if he broke her precious boombox. That was something the Tozier boy did not want to find out.

Richie raised one of his hands. "I'll be careful, I swear."

Although he made a promise that sounded slightly droll, Gwen knew he was being real with her. She walked to where her boombox was and turned it off before handing it to her brother. Richie thanked her and was now making his way towards the front where his backpack was, ready to head down to meet the rest of his friends by the quarry.

Gwen however was quick to stop him. A question had been nagging her since yesterday and she needed a proper answer. "Hey, Richie?" She called out.

Richie turned to look at his older sister."Yeah?"

Gwen played with her fingers, sheepishly. "You don't mind me hanging out with you and your friends, do you?"

"No, I don't mind." Richie answered her honestly. "I think it's cool."

"Really?" Gwen asked sounding relieved.

Richie nodded his head. "Yeah." He gave her one of his goofy tooth like smiles. The one that was only reserved for her. "So, I'll see you there?" He asked again, this time more hopeful than before.

Gwen released a small smile. "Maybe."

It wasn't a yes, but it sure felt like it. Richie's eyes brighten behind his glasses. "Alright, see you later." Before he fully stepped out of the kitchen, he used the hand that wasn't holding the boombox and waved it in the air. He was once again imitating her awful dancing. Gwen gave him a look of amusement but she wasn't able to retort anything back to him because he ran out of the kitchen laughing.

She shook her head at his retreating figure. It wasn't out of anger though. It was out of fondness.

Her brother was quite the character.

Was he annoying? Yes. Did he make a lot of immature jokes? Yes. Did he not know when to shut up? Nope. But that was her brother and Gwen wouldn't change anything about him.

Not ever.

After he left, Gwen continued her cleaning. This time she didn't break out into sporadic dancing...but she still had a small spring in her steps.

* * *

About thirty minutes later after Richie had left, the house phone started ringing.

It had been Beverly who called (much to Gwen's delight). Her merriment however was short lived once she heard how Beverly sounded. Through the phone Gwen could tell something was up. Beverly though didn't tell her what was wrong. The red head only told her to get the stuff she needed for the quarry and to meet her at the town center, near where the Paul Bunyan statue was at.

Gwen said that she would be there soon. It really didn't take the Tozier girl that long to get everything ready. All she got was her backpack, a towel, and a pair of sunglasses. It felt weird to not pack a bathing suit, but she out grew the last one she had. So it seemed like she was going swimming with her undergarments. Which really wasn't that much of a difference to how her bathing suit was designed. It had been a two piece as well.

After leaving her house, she rode her bike to the destination where she was going to meet Beverly. As she rode her bike there, Gwen basked in the warm weather, feeling excited that she was soon going to be swimming in cool water. By the time she reached the town center, Gwen's eyes wandered around the area. She frowned when she didn't automatically spot Beverly. Her eyes widen once they saw a girl sitting down on a bench. She had red hair but it was short. Was that her? No it couldn't be. The Tozier girl was proved wrong once she rode her bike closer. She came to a stop once she was next to her.

It was Beverly. Except she no longer had her flowy locks. She instead now had short slightly curly wavy hair. It was evident that Gwen was surprised by her change of hair. "Wow." The teen said in awe.

The red head lowered her eyes. "It's awful, isn't it?" She asked, insecure now.

Gwen stare became earnest. "You know what I see?" She asked causing Beverly to look up again. "I see a girl rocking out a badass haircut."

Beverly expression was melancholic. "So, I don't look ugly?"

 _How could she think that?_ Gwen's dark eyes soften with endearment. "Beverly Marsh, you're _nowhere_ near being ugly. Don't you ever forget that."

Beverly offered her a smile as she now confidently ran a hand through her short hair.

"If you don't mind me asking, why the sudden change?" Gwen asked her gently.

Beverly's thoughts went back to her father. Fear but mostly anger ran through her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Once she felt better she opened her eyes again to look at Gwen. "I wanted to have control." She answered with heavy resolute. "That's why I did it."

"And do you feel like you do now?" Gwen inquired intently.

Without hesitation, Beverly nodded her head. "For the first time in the longest time."

 _Good._ Gwen gave her friend a smile. "I'm glad for that." Feeling that things were getting too seriously emotional, she decided to lighten things up a bit. "You kind of look like Molly Ringwald now."

Beverly tilted her head. "Is that good or bad?"

Gwen was quick with her response. " _Good!_ Molly Ringwald is a beauty!" The Tozier girl exclaimed.

That finally made Beverly release a soft laugh. Not only did she feel a lot more confident with herself, but she was starting to feel untroubled thanks to Gwen's presence. She gave her a grateful expression, and although Gwen didn't know it, Beverly was still thankful for her advice and soothing words.

"Is it okay If I make a quick stop by the music shop?" Gwen suddenly asked her.

Beverly got a hold of herself. She managed a small nod. "That's fine. I was actually gonna go back to the pharmacy to see if I can sneak out a few snacks for us and boys."

Knowing she could handle herself well in that sort of situation, Gwen nodded her head. "Alright, we'll just meet each other by the front afterwards, kay?"

Beverly agreed and then made her way towards the pharmacy. Gwen went the other way to where the music shop was at. Derry's Music Shop was only a few buildings away from the pharmacy. Out of all the businesses the small town of Derry had, the quaint music shop was Gwen's all time favorite place. Whenever she went in there she always looked at all the cassettes they had. She wasted most of her money in this little shop. She liked it that much. If the owner was feeling extra kind, Gwen would be allowed to play the piano that was in there.

Right now she wasn't looking for a piano session. She just wanted to buy a new cassette for her boombox. They were going swimming after all. So they were going to need some good tunes to listen to. The songs on the radio weren't going to be enough.

Just as she was about to open the door to the music shop, Gwen was startled when the door swiftly opened. She backed up by instinct, but her departure increased when she saw who came outside.

 _Victor Criss._

Gwen's stomach dropped a little at seeing the sleek white-blonde haired boy.

Victor's gaze immediately went towards her. The Tozier girl saw how his eyes barely widen a bit at seeing her. Whatever surprise he had quickly went away and soon a hard exterior replaced it. Gwen bit the inside of her cheek feeling down right awkward and nervous. Her nervousness went away for a second there when she saw the cassette Victor had in his hands.

 _Blue Oyster Cult._

Gwen was bemused and dare she say impressed? She liked that band too. Knowing Victor had somewhat the same type of taste of music as her created a odd feeling within her. It was then when Victor shoved the cassette inside his jean pocket that Gwen was thrown out of her thoughts. Apprehensiveness soon over powered her. She looked at the music shop in worry. If Victor had been inside, did that mean...

"He's not in there." Victor's somewhat deep voice caught her attention. He had seen the chary expression she had on and he felt a need to reassure things for her. She slowly looked his way again causing him to look her straight into her dark eyes. "He's out with Belch looking for Patrick."

Gwen was relieved to hear that. She didn't want to run into the rest of them. She could manage with just fine with Victor alone. In fact she'd rather preferred it if she were to just run into alone Victor all the time. That of course was a stupid thing to hope for. Still...there was a question she had in mind...

"Why aren't you with them?" She asked the sleek white-blonde haired boy.

Instead of answering her right away, Victor pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his military green jacket. He lit the cigarette and then put his lighter away. He then inhaled and exhaled a round of smoke. As he did this his stare on her was intense and it didn't linger at all.

Unlike with Patrick's or even Henry's staring, Gwen was not all scared by his attention. If anything she was annoyed at his lack of response. The Tozier girl frowned."Well?" She asked again.

Victor took in her question and then scoffed as he let out another puff of smoke. "Like I'd waste my time looking for that asshole, Hockstetter."

That comment left Gwen severely confused. He called Patrick an asshole, but they were friends...weren't they? Unless of course, Victor was only putting with Patrick's crap because of Henry. Although that was just random speculation, it somehow seemed that was the right answer for such question.

Despite this odd encounter with Victor, Gwen knew she had to end it now. Without saying anything else to him, Gwen began making her way inside the music shop. Except before she even touched the door handle, Victor's firm voice stopped her movements. "You know that was a real stupid thing you did, punching Henry." He suddenly found himself saying to her.

Gwen was taken back by what he said. "Excuse me?" She questioned as she turned to look at him again.

Victor exhaled more smoke into the air above him. "I understand he made you mad. He makes everyone mad, but what the hell was that punch supposed to accomplish?"

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. _Was he actually bringing this up?_ She thought of all the things she could say to him and boy was there a lot. But her emotions got the better of her, so she ended up blurting out the first thing that came to her mind.

"What was hurting Ben supposed to accomplish for you, huh? I mean, you where there, weren't you?" Gwen retorted back to him. "Why would you do that him?"

Now it was Victor's time to be taken back. Despite this he remained cool with her. His face harden more along with his eyes. "I didn't do _shit_."

Gwen's expression darkened with upset emotion. "Just because you personally weren't the one to carve into him, doesn't mean you're not at fault. You could have stopped it!"

That struck something within Victor.

Yes, the fat kid really had shitty luck. But Victor was relieved when Henry and them had run into him instead of crossing paths with Gwen. That was what the Bowers' boy originally wanted. Henry knew she hung out at the library, so he was waiting outside for her. Needless to say Victor was glad it had been Ben instead of Gwen who came out of the library that day. If it had been Gwen, Henry would have _wrecked_ her. Patrick too. Henry had his own ways with how he wanted to get even with Gwen (and none were good). But at least Victor knew what to expect from Henry (at least he thought he did). As for Patrick? He was a wild card.

More than once had the dark haired boy mention to them how he really want to nail Gwen. Henry had past sexual interest with her as well. The reason being was because Gwen had developed fairly earlier than the other girls in their class. So her mature exterior was what set her on Henry's and Patrick's radar. It was the same thing that Beverly Marsh girl had the misfortune of experiencing for herself. But it had been Gwen rejecting Henry's advances and Patrick's oddness that was her downfall.

Henry was now more focused on how much he wanted to get even with Gwen. It first started with the rumors Henry spread around about her. Except now his need for wanting to get even with her grew after she punched him. Henry was severely pissed off about that.

As for Patrick? Victor didn't know what he exactly wanted do to her...well he had a strong (awful) guess of what exactly that might be. He didn't want to think about what Patrick would have done to her if he had gotten his crummy hands on her. His twisted thoughts that he had about her made Victor feel sick to his stomach. Victor was still pissed off when Patrick had told him, Henry, and Belch, of the time he had watched Gwen change in the locker room. His lewd comments about her and her body made Victor's blood boil. He didn't make his anger obvious in front of the guys. No, he waited till night time and he went over to Patrick's place and smashed two of his front windows. Patrick never found out he was the one that did it. And Victor planned to keep it that way.

Despite that window warning, Patrick's zany behavior towards Gwen didn't falter. If anything it grew the more time went on. So Victor didn't want to ponder the ways Patrick would have hurt her if it had been her they saw.

Victor had to admit that Henry did cross a line with Ben. He went too far. The whole carving his first letter of his name had been insane.

Hell, even Belch had been shocked that Henry had actually done it. The burly built teen had made his discomposure more well known than Victor's own, but either way Henry was quick to shut him up. Victor knew Henry would of done the same thing to him too if he didn't follow his orders. And Victor knew (even though it was messed up) it was better to be quiet and do as Henry ordered. It was never smart to piss off Henry...especially since when this whole thing went down he had a knife. Although deeply troubled by what Henry did, Victor wasn't stupid. He knew where his place was during then...and even now.

Victor stared at Gwen as he took another round of smoke. _Better him than you._ He thought as he let out a slightly shaky exhale.

His eyes soften for just a second there before they went back to their stringent ways. He cleared his throat. "If you really believe that I could have done something, then you're out of your Goddamn mind."

"You've interfered before." Gwen heatedly reminded him.

 _She just had to mention that, didn't she?_ "It's not the same." Victor lowly replied back to her.

"Why not?" Gwen insisted.

"Because it's not! _Fuck!_ " Victor exclaimed, heavily affected by her questioning. He kept quiet for a few seconds, composing himself. When he spoke again, he was much like his stern self. "It's just fuckin' not, alright?"

Gwen could tell her questions were getting to him. _Good_. She continued, only this time she was more mild than before. "Why'd you do it?"

 _Fuckin' hell_. Victor released a heavy sigh. He threw the cigarette he had on the floor and stepped on it. "I already told you..."

"No, I'm talking about what happened at school now." Gwen softened her voice a little. "Why did you drag me away from Henry?"

Victor's eyes were steady on her. "You guys were causing too much of a scene." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Gwen refused to accept that. "No...no there's more to it. Why did you help then? Why even help me at all?"

Did she seriously not have a clue? Her puzzled expression gave Victor his answer. He shook his head, displeased.

"You're so fuckin' oblivious." Victor muttered, hurt. Although emotionally wounded by her lack of attention, he was not at all surprised. There's was only ever one boy that held her heart. _Chase Campbell_. And even after his passing, the blue eyed boy still held all of her affections. Victor wanted to hate him, but what would hating a boy that was now dead do for him? Absolutely nothing. His indignation had to go somewhere though. And unfortunately for Gwen, it was aimed towards her at the moment. He narrowed his eyes at her and his expression harden.

"I'd hurry up now. Don't know when they might show up."

And with that being said, Victor walked off. Leaving behind a very flabbergasted Gwen. What the hell did he mean by saying she was so oblivious? Oblivious to what?

The Tozier girl had been so affected by his sudden leave and cryptic comment that she didn't even hear when Beverly came to stand next to her. The red was holding a variety choices of small snacks she was able to steal from the pharmacy.

"What did he want?" Beverly asked, her voice was filled with concern for her friend as she warily watched Victor Criss make his leave.

"I never know." Gwen whispered, thoughtful. She shook her head. "Let's just go before Henry and the others show up."

"Did you get what you wanted?" Beverly asked her.

Gwen shook her head again. After her encounter with Victor, she no longer wanted to go inside the music shop. "No, let's just go."

Beverly could see how bothered Gwen was and she wanted more than anything to ask if she was okay. The forced reassuring look Gwen gave her though stopped her from doing so. So the red head just gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. The Tozier girl appreciated that and without saying anything else they got on their bikes and they went to towards the quarry.

* * *

The ride to the quarry allowed Gwen to momentarily forget about the encounter she had with Victor.

Beverly had the bright idea to see who could get to there the fastest.

So they raced.

All Gwen had to say was that she was thankful for softball. The practices enhanced her fitness, so she didn't tire easily with all the fast peddling. Neither did Beverly (but that had to do with wanting to win), and at the end the two actually ended up getting to the top of the quarry at the same time. They laughed at how flushed and out of breath they looked like, finding humor in their disorder.

Both girls suddenly became quiet once they heard familiar voices. They rode their bikes to where the voices came from and stopped when they saw Richie, Stan, Ben, Bill, and Eddie. They were stripped down to their underwear and were lined up in that order by the side of the cliff. Since Gwen and Beverly were a lot closer now they able to hear the topic of conversation that had them so animated.

They were talking about loogies. Typical boy stuff.

Gwen and Beverly exchanged amused smiles at the boys bantered with one another about which loogie went the furthest.

Finally, it had been Bill who called for order. "Alright, who's f-f-first?" He asked looking at his friends before averting his gaze down towards the large body of water. Now that the friendly bickering had ended between the five of them, they were now finally letting the nerves from jumping from such a high place get to them. Each boy peered over the edge, inwardly dreading to be the one who would have to go first.

From behind them, Beverly and Gwen once again exchanged looks. Gwen nodded her head as if mentally understanding her. Beverly smiled as she laid her bike on the ground. She swiftly kicked her shoes as she did so.

"I'll go!" She announced as she stepped forward.

Simultaneously each boy turned around when they heard her voice. Each boy had on surprised faces when they saw how both girls were there. Their shock value expression grew even more when they saw Beverly unbutton her dress, leaving her just in her undergarments. She smiled brightly and then took off running towards the cliff. She laughed musically as she passed by them. "Sissies." And then she bravely jumped off.

"What the fuck?!" Richie's shocked voice filled the air. He along with the rest of the boy peered down into the water once they heard a loud splash. Beverly popped out and she gave them a wave. Richie stared back towards the boys. "Ah, we just got shown up by a girl!" Shaking his head he turned to look over at his sister."Gwen, can you believe this sh _―"_ He however stopped talking when he caught sight of her.

During Beverly's jump, Gwen had used that time wisely to strip down. She had already taken off her shoes and shorts, and right when the rest of them turned to look at her, she was taking off her t-shirt, leaving her in her undergarments.

All the boys (minus Richie) were flustered at seeing her this way.

She had on a light colored purple bra and a pair of grey colored underwear. It was a total mismatch, but none of them cared for matching undergarments at the moment. They were all looking at her with wide awed expressions. Bill's and Ben's faces were slightly pink at seeing her so exposed, but they had to admit they were more allured toward Beverly. However, it was Stan and Eddie who were extremely flustered at seeing Gwen in her undergarments. In the complete opposite of things, Richie's expression was a mixture of disgust and disturbance.

"My eyes, my _fuckin_ ' eyes! They burn!" Richie announced covering his eyes. Even though his vision was already blurry since he didn't have on his glasses, he still blocked out any sight of her indecency. " _Ahh_!"

Gwen rolled her eyes at her brother. "Oh shut it, you'll live." What did he expect? For her to go swimming in her clothes? Besides, her brother and her had gone swimming before and even then she'd worn a swim suit similar to her undergarments. So he was definitely over exaggerating. She gave all of them a smile. "Last one to jump is a loser!" Before she took off running, she made a thinking face. "Oh wait, we're already losers." She shrugged her shoulders, not at all bothered by her lack of status. Her dark eyes were bright as she ran passed them. "See you guys at the bottom!" She then jumped, yelling a loud, "Woohoo!" Before creating a loud splash.

Once again the boys were left shocked and impressed by another girl's bravery.

Eddie was the first to speak about this.

"Dude, your sister has bigger balls than you." He gazed down to where Gwen had just jumped. A amazed expression was set on his face as he looked down to where the Tozier girl was now at. She was swimming next to Beverly and was waving her hand up towards them.

Richie threw him a glare. "You haven't jumped either." He grumpily reminded him.

"Yeah, but she's your sister. So not only did you get showed up by two girls, but one of them was your sister." Eddie amusingly told him. He along with Bill and Ben, laughed at Richie's slightly annoyed expression.

It however faltered when he didn't hear Stan laugh. The Tozier boy turned to look at him wanting to see why he wasn't joining in the good natured teasing done of him. Usually he was one of the first.

The opened mouth and starry eyed look Stan had on aimed down towards his sister made Richie roll his eyes at him. "Stan, close your mouth. You look like a fuckin' idiot."

"Huh?" Stan uttered, still bedazzled by Gwen. He gave Richie a glance. "What did you say?"

Bill, Ben, and Eddie laughed while Richie shook his head. _"_ Un-fuckin'-believable."

Stan was able to get a hold of himself. "Do we have to do that now?" Yes he wanted to swim with Gwen, but the nerves of jumping from such a high place still held power over him.

All the boys nodded their heads, but it was Eddie who spoke. "Yes."

"Come on guys!" Beverly yelled catching their attention.

Gwen was swimming backwards before she threw both of her hands in the air and started waving them around.

"Oh my God, I'm gonna cry if she starts dancing in the water." Richie said with a loud sigh. The rest of the boys gave him bemused looks, unaware of Gwen's awful dancing skills. The Tozier boy shook his head, letting his friends know it wasn't a big deal.

Then one by one each boy found their inner bravery to jump off the cliff to join their two friends in the water.

For Stan his sudden courage was all because of Gwen. The smile he was able to see and the laugh he was able to hear from her made him want to join in with her merriment.

And he was glad he did because now that they were all in the water together, the real fun and serenity began between them.

Everyone was happy. They felt normal. It was a feeling that they each hadn't felt in the longest time. While everyone was basking in this moment of peace, Stan made sure to take in Gwen's appearance.

She looked beautiful. Even with her hair wet and tangled, Gwen was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

Stan's heart fluttered.

 _So beautiful..._

Right now she looked like her old happy self. So carefree and lively with her emotions.

He wanted to make sure he would be able to remember this moment with her.

Sensing someone was staring at her, Gwen turned to look at him. Stan instantly felt the blush on his cheeks, but to his luck (or maybe misfortune?) Gwen just playfully flicked water towards him. She laughed at his slightly surprised expression.

Richie caught sight of this and used it to his opportunity. "Water fight!" He joyfully shouted.

Gwen laughed. "Come on, Stan the Man. Let's show him who's boss." She said and then swam to where Richie was, already playfully splashing water at her brother.

He might have not known it now, but it was this exact moment where he, the logical boy that was Stanley Uris, ended falling in love with Gwen Tozier. The hyperactive girl who was clueless (and would be for a while) of his feelings towards her.

Despite all this, with a smile on his face, Stan joined the high-spirited water fight that was going on with his friends and with the girl he immensely cared for.

* * *

 **A/N:** _The next chapter will continue the quarry scene. So there will be more lighthearted moments. However expect a disturbing scene as well ^.^ *dun* *dun* *dun* ;P_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Guys, thanks for all the reviews from the last chapter! You guys are so amazing! You guys are the reason why I keep writing.(: I hope this chapter is just as good as the last one...even if it does take a sudden dark turn towards the end. *.* Anyways, have fun reading! Also, my next update might take longer because midterms are actually coming up. So I need time to study. Sorry! :( But I'll see if I can sneak a chapter during this time. _

_**P.S.** I don't own any of the songs or bands mentioned in this chapter. I do recommend you listen to the song __**I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingos** during the end scene. It's a nice song, but I have to admit it does have a creepy factor if playing it in a tense/frightening scene. _

* * *

_"There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare."_ _― Mary Renault, The Charioteer_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 10: A unforgiving encounter_**

The fun in the water continued for the group of friends.

Even after the water fight they had between them, splashing and joyful laughter filled the air.

At one point, Beverly got on top of Bill's shoulders and Richie did the same with Ben. Gwen acted as referee, as Stan and Eddie amusingly watched the chicken fight play out. The three of them laughed as Richie and Beverly tried pushing each other off. Eventually it had been Richie who succeeded in winning the game and pushed Beverly into the water. The red head popped out of the water next to Bill and gave the bespectacled boy a smile.

Gwen cheered loudly and swam closer to give her brother a high five. Richie eagerly reached to give her such gesture, but was taken back when Gwen grabbed his hand and swiftly pulled him into the water.

Everyone laughed at seeing their talkative friend fall into the water. When Richie finally got back up to the surface he gave his sister a fake serious expression. "I'm so gonna get you for that." He told her and then started swimming her way.

Gwen's response was a smile. Although she knew her brother was kidding with his threat, the dark haired girl still swam away from him. She got to where Stan was and hid behind him putting her hands on his shoulders to balance herself out. She was completely unaware of how flustered the curly haired boy was by her touch and her proximity. Stan had to control his breathing so Gwen wouldn't notice how affected he was by her. Just as Richie was about to reach his sister, Gwen jumped and leaned closer towards Stan. Said boy was severely taken back by this action. He turned his body without breaking the hold she had on him.

"What's wrong?" Stan right away asked when he saw her mild nervous expression.

Gwen took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Something touched my foot." She easily explained to him. Having something unknown touch her should have freaked her out, but it hadn't. The touch had taken her by surprise, but after composing herself she realized it hadn't really scared her. If anything the brief soft touch had been soothing… to the point of gentleness. It caused an unknown warmth to radiate through her body. An unconscious feeling told her to reach for her necklace, and Gwen briefly did so. A smile wanting to break out onto her face as she did this.

Richie, however, was freaking out. All the playfulness he had towards his sister went away as worry for her started to consume him. "What the fuck? What do you mean something touched you? Is there something in the water?" He asked chary and bewildered as he looked at the water around him.

Seeing how all they were starting to get freaked out (except Gwen), Bill dived into the water. It didn't take long for him to find out what exactly was underneath them. He swam back up and met all of his friends eyes. "It's just a Turtle." He reassured them. None of them (not even him) had noticed how he hadn't stuttered as he spoke this time. The reassurance of nothing harmful, but something so simple yet warming as a Turtle in the water had them distracted.

"Really?" Gwen asked, her eyes brightening up.

Bill nodded his head in confirmation.

Just as the Tozier girl was about to dive down in the water herself to see, she felt another soft touch. Only this time by one of the hands that was still holding onto Stan's shoulder. The curly haired boy was shocked to see such animal close to them, as did the rest of their friends. None of them (not even him) were the least bit afraid at the sight of such an amazing animal. Before either they were able to even reach out towards it, the Turtle quickly swam away from them.

"Oh my God, it really is a Turtle." Gwen announced happily. The same warmth from before surged through her again. "It's so beautiful." She earnestly said with a smile. Her eyes soften as she saw the shape of the Turtle swim away before it fully went back underneath the water.

Stan gave his crush a heartfelt look. "Yeah." Although he agreed, he wasn't talking about the Turtle.

Something in the sound of his voice made Gwen gaze back towards him. It was then she finally realized that she was still holding onto him. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself, thinking her touch must have been annoying him (which was the complete opposite, but she didn't know). She quickly let go of the hold she had on him and put some space between them. While she did this she missed the dejected look that passed through Stan's face. Just as she was about to apologize for invading his personal space, a large (and very unexpected) wave of water hit her right in the face.

"What the hell?!" She shouted as she spat water from her mouth.

Richie's laughter entered her ears as it did with everyone else's

"That's what you get for knocking me down!" Now that they had sorted out that there wasn't any sort of danger in the water, Richie went back to his joking like ways. His need to have banter with his sister made him not notice the "moment" Stan was having with her. His curly haired friend was giving him a discreet hard stare, but the Tozier boy wasn't paying attention to him. All his attention was on how shocked his sister was by his sudden water attack.

Gwen's features twisted into faux resolute. She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "I'm gonna give you a three second head start. One…two…"

Once she reached three, Richie (with an amused expression) started swimming the in opposite direction, with Gwen not that far behind.

Bill, Beverly, Eddie, and Ben were laughing at their antics.

Even Stan who had been annoyed at Richie couldn't help but smile at how frivolous they were being.

* * *

It had been Ben who had gotten out of the water first. When he sat down by the rocks, Gwen saw how him eating one of the snacks Beverly had stolen from the pharmacy.

The Tozier girl felt her stomach rumble when she saw this. Wanting a snack made her swim towards the shore. When she got of the water she missed the starry eyed look Stan was throwing her way. Along with Eddie's open gaped mouth. The young boy had to control his breathing the longer he stared at her. The need for his inhaler was strong, but he was able to manage his breathing.

Ben was somewhat startled when sat down next to him. Out of embarrassment he quickly swallowed down the remaining chocolate bar pieces he had in his mouth.

Instead of making a comment about his weight or even dissing his choice of fattening snack, Ben was taken back (and relieved) when Gwen started immediately eating a chocolate bar. Were her eating habits lady like? Eh, not really. Except that didn't bother Ben. He knew now that Gwen was well mannered. He figured that at the moment she comfortable enough to loosen up a bit. Ben felt happy about that because that meant she wasn't putting up a fake persona with him. She was just being herself.

When she finished eating the chocolate bar, Gwen let out a smile. "You gotta love chocolate."

Ben smiled, nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah." He felt silly, but it was after saying this that he realized Gwen was sitting next to him. He felt his face warm up out of awkwardness. It wasn't the same blush he would get when staring at Beverly. That blush was out of complete affection. No, the blush he was getting because of Gwen was due to him being unquiet. Sure he liked Gwen, but he didn't like her the same way he liked Beverly. Beverly Marsh was the one who held his heart. Gwen Tozier was a friend _―_ one he was getting closer to. Or now that he thought about it better, he was starting to see her as an older sister.

"Is your stomach feeling better?" Gwen suddenly asked. Her voice had taken a serious and concerned turn with her tone.

Ben blinked at her. "Huh?' He replied coming out of his thoughts.

Gwen pointed to the bandage covered wound, the one Henry Bowers had inflicted on him. "Your stomach. Is the injury on your stomach causing you any issues?"

 _You mean besides embarrassment every-time I stare at it?_ Ben thought to himself before shaking his head. He put his hands over his stomach, an act he has been doing ever since he could remember. "No, I'm feeling better now." He said trying to sound convincing.

Gwen could not only hear but she could also see the insecurity that Ben had towards himself. The cut on his stomach (which would probably be there for the rest of his life) just made his self-consciousness more obvious. Anger suddenly overshadowed her emotions and it was directed towards Henry Bowers. For Ben's Sake she was able to control her emotions. However, she still made her dislike towards Bowers very well known by her next choice of words.

"Like I said before, Henry Bowers is one giant _fucktard_."

 _There it was again, that curse word._ Ben's face lit up with enlightenment. "What does that even mean?' He asked laughing a little.

Gwen's face perked up at such question. "Oh, fucktard? That's just my lovely way of saying he's a fuckin' asshole, prick, jerk, douche. Of course I could always just say those things, but I like the way fucktard sounds. Has a certain zing to it."

"That it does." Ben said with a full on smile this time.

Gwen returned the smile. However her eyes soon caught sight of something sticking out of Ben's backpack. This time it wasn't his Walkman that had her attention, but piece of paper that looked like a post card.

"What you got there?" She asked, curious.

Ben followed her gaze. He berated himself when he saw what held her attention. He was quick to shove the postcard he had inside his backpack. "Nothing." He replied, feeling slightly panicked.

Normally her attention was a five out of ten (due to her ADHD). However, when something really caught her interest, Gwen was not one to be easily swayed. "Relax, I won't say a word." She said raising a hand. "Scout's honor."

Ben stared at her taking in her facial features. Not a single feature she had held anything that made him not trust her. Feeling a sense of security with the Tozier girl, he reached for the postcard and carefully handed it to her. He grew nervous as she began to silently read it.

 _Your hair is winter fire,_

 _January embers,_

 _My heart burns there, too._

Gwen felt a sense of serenity go through her after reading the postcard.

 _Wow_.

That was all Gwen could think in her head. Ben actually wrote that? After a few seconds she was able to get a hold of herself. A light bulb went off in her head after re-reading the postcard again. Her gaze on him became soft. "Is this for who I think it is?" She asked him, excited to hear his reply. It had to be for Beverly...it just had to.

Ben shook his head. "No." He lamely said. However, the soft knowing look Gwen was giving him made him give into the truth. Like before he just felt like he could trust her with this. He ended up nodding his head "Yes." He answered her. Despite trusting her, he still lowered his eyes.

"You like her." Gwen realized with a smile. In the inside she was gushing at Ben's feelings for Beverly. "That's sweet. Now I understand why you had all those poetry books." She handed Ben the postcard back. "It's lovely, Ben. I'm sure Beverly will love it."

Ben blushed as he took hold of the postcard. He hid it inside his backpack and then looked towards her again. A dejected expression was to be seen in his face. "I hope so."

"Why didn't you sign your name on it?" Gwen asked him. At the bottom of the postcard it just said secret admirer. The Tozier girl was confused as to why he didn't want to take credit for his own work. Let alone not want to let Beverly know it had been him who wrote her such a lovely poem.

"Because I don't think she likes me the same way." Ben replied, dispirited.

Gwen could hear the disappointment in his tone of voice. She herself knew how it was to like someone who had no idea of their feelings towards them. Thinking about Chase made Gwen feel sadness. Not wanting to fall into her depression, now of all moments, she fought to move through it. She gave Ben a quick encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Chin up." She said lightening her voice a bit. "Just remember that in the end the underdog always wins." Although she was saying this to him, in a way she was also saying it to herself.

"But that's just in movies." Ben sadly pointed out to her.

Gwen shook her head and laughed. Her laugh was a little bitter, but it still made the younger boy feel slightly better. "Ben, if you really think about it life is a movie." She then scrunched up her face in thought. "Only more shittier. And the endings aren't always happy, but there's always a silver lining of some sorts." She soften her voice, turning more serious. "There just has to be..." She cleared her throat and got back on track. "So you can still give her the postcard. Where's the harm in that?" She told him, and with that she left Ben alone to dwell with her the thoughtful advice she had given him.

The Tozier girl didn't go so far. Just far enough to get her towel from where she had left it near the shore. As she did this she saw the rest of the group start to come out of the water. When Richie got out he made sure to shake his head right next to her allowing his wet hair to hit her. He reminded her of a shaggy dog drying himself out.

Gwen of course repeated this action. Since her hair was way longer than his, the end pieces actually got him pretty good in the face. He made a noise of complaint as he walked over towards where Ben was next to the rocks to sit down. Bill, Stan, and Eddie followed behind, severely amused at how Gwen had one upped Richie at the whole wet hair flipping game.

Beverly was the only one to have stayed behind. The Tozier had to control how giddy she was feeling due to the discovery of Ben's crush on the red head. Although she was smiling, Gwen could tell how serious Beverly was becoming due to her eyes.

Beverly looked to where the boys were at. The five of them were now sitting next to the rocks, engaging in whatever sort of conversation with each other with Gwen's boombox was blasting music in the background. Gazing back at the dark haired girl, Beverly finally to ask the question she'd been saving for her. "Gwen, can I ask you something?"

The Tozier girl didn't hesitate at nodding her head. "Yeah, what's up?"

Beverly let out a deep breath.

"Is this what it's like to have friends?"

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. Beverly saw this and was quick to explain her reasoning for even bringing this question up.

"I'm just asking because I've never had real friends before...not until you guys." Beverly sadly admitted to her. "So...is this how it feels? Like you're up on cloud nine?"

Gwen had to think over what Beverly was asking. Her thoughts were going all over the place. Was the feeling of happiness caused because of her friends? Short answer, yes.

Her self explanation to this was a bit longer.

Now did Gwen herself have a lot of friends to back up this? Not so much...at least not anymore. She did get along with _most_ of her softball teammates, and a few students (even girls) that had been in her classes (well, the ones that didn't partake in the rumors about her), but none of them were _close_ friends with her. Not the kind of friends she would trust with her life or tell her secrets to. There was only one person who she considered to be her best friend and that was Francine. But after Chase's death and Georgie's disappearance, Gwen couldn't one hundred percent be herself around her blonde friend anymore. Still, whenever she was with Francine, Gwen was less on edge and was more up beat. But right now with Beverly and the rest of them, Gwen was the most happiest she's ever been. Gwen ended up giving Beverly an earnest expression.

"If I'm being honest, I don't really have that many friends...not until now of course." Gwen sheepishly admitted to her. "Before, Francine was my only friend. Best friend actually, and that's because I've basically known her my whole life. And then there was Chase..." Gwen felt her composure lessen at the mention of him. "But you know what happened to him..."

Beverly looked at her with doleful eyes. The red head did know what happened to Chase Campbell. How couldn't she? The blue eyed boy's suicide was the most talked about incident in town...well, that was of course before the disappearances started happening. Now the Campbell boy was just another tragedy people talked about every now and again. It sadden Beverly because even if she didn't personally know Chase, she knew even from a far distance that he was nice. A rare quality to find in people residing in Derry. Her sorrowful feelings grew when they saw how affected Gwen looked at the mention on Chase. The older girl really must have liked him.

Gwen continued talking as if she hadn't just brought up her dead crush. She cleared her throat, fighting away the tears that wanted to run down her face. "The rest of the girls and boys in my grade are just acquaintances. But this feeling we're having is a feeling I've never felt before...not even with Francine." The Tozier girl steadied her voice. "I know it's good because I actually feel happy... and that's because of you guys."

Beverly wanted to comfort Gwen. Even if the older girl was putting on a brave act, her dark eyes were showing her brooding. But Beverly settled down her concern since she herself knew what it was like to not want others to smother her with solace _―_ let alone pity her. Although Gwen showed caring feelings towards her, she did it in a natural way. So Beverly did the same, taking a softer approach. She gave Gwen a comforting smile. "Well, I'm glad for you guys." And she meant that because she felt beyond touched at her confession.

"Me too." Gwen agreed. Before things got more emotional, she started walking towards where the boys were at. Her towel in hand as she did so. "Now come on." She said glancing over her shoulder. "Let's go get dry while the sun is still high in the sky."

Feeling as if she was still on cloud nine, Beverly grabbed her own towel and followed behind her friend's steps.

* * *

Gwen and Beverly were in absolute tranquility.

They were both laying down on their towels next to each other, sunbathing. The upbeat music song of _Bust A Move_ by _Young MC_ was playing out of Gwen's boombox. Said older teenager had on her sunglasses (as did Beverly), and was mouthing along to the lyrics. As she did Gwen she was moving her feet to the rhythm. Overall, the Tozier girl was basking in the music and the suns warmth, enjoying this moment of peace.

From where they were sitting by the rocks, each boy had enamoured looks on their faces. Bill, Ben, Eddie, and Stan were looking at both girls, while Richie admired Beverly. However, it soon became apparent to the bespectacled boy that his friends stares were beginning to linger more on his sister due to how more _developed_ she was. This was clearly obvious by how flushed Eddie and (especially) Stan looked as they gazed at Gwen.

Richie shuddered as he threw his friends looks of disbelief. "Seriously guys?" He harshly whispered to them.

Bill and Ben looked away from Gwen in embarrassment, but were quick to move their gazes onto Beverly. Eddie mumbled an apology under his breath, somewhat averting his eyes away from Gwen, ashamed. Stan however didn't stop staring at Gwen. The awestruck look he had on never faltered as he took in her ethereal beauty. He knew he should have stopped looking, but he just couldn't. It was like he was under her spell. The Uris boy was completely allured by the Tozier girl.

Beverly suddenly turning her head their way finally made all of them look away. All the boys tried to look nonchalant and innocent, making Beverly raise her eyebrows behind her sunglasses. She turned to look at Gwen and right away saw how she was still very much into the song that was playing. Beverly smiled seeing the older girl in her own world.

Even though they had been almost caught, Stan couldn't help help but glance at Gwen again. Richie saw right away his curly haired friend looking at his sister again. Richie rolled his eyes behind his glasses, having enough of this. He grabbed his towel and threw it at Gwen's direction. It landed right on her face as she was still mouthing along to the song's lyrics.

"What the hell, Richie?" Gwen asked grabbing the towel from her face. She came to to a sitting position and took off her sunglasses to stare at her brother.

Richie shrugged his shoulders. "You're gonna get a sun burn." He replied back with a tight smile. He made sure to give Stan a side look making the bird loving boy avert his gaze away from Gwen.

The Tozier girl unaware of this interaction between them, rolled her eyes.

Richie then moved on his attention when he saw the papers sticking out of Ben's backpack. He gave the boy a droll smile. _"News flash Ben, school's out for Summah!"_ He told him in a (terrible) British accent. The Tozier boy then (without permission of course) started looking through Ben's backpack. He was quick to pull out the postcard he had made for Beverly. Thankfully he had the picture side facing him. Richie was ever curious. He gave Ben an amused expression. "Who sent you this?"

Panicked and embarrassed, Ben grabbed the postcard from him and hid it inside in another compartment the backpack had. "No one." He sheepishly told him.

"Richie, how many times have I told you? Ask before taking." Gwen said coming to Ben's aid. She came to sit next to Stan, making the curly haired boy flush at how close she was to him now again.

"What? You take stuff all the time without asking." Richie retorted back to his older sister.

Gwen smiled. "Yes, but I'm me and you're you. There's a huge difference." She right away saw the comical smile that was starting to break out onto her brother's face. She was quick to put a stop to his flippant comment. "I swear if you make a dick joke right now, I'm gonna push you into the water."

All the others had to stifle their laughter at seeing how let down their motormouth friend looked because of interrupting his brazen comment. Richie huffed but still continued to look through Ben's backpack. He might have not asked permission, but at least this time he was searching more calmly than before. He ended pulling out a binder.

"What's with the history project?" Eddie asked as Richie flipped open the binder. They were all looking it with curiosity. Richie and Gwen were the first to see it. They then passed the binder to Stan and Eddie to have a look. The four of them were quick to see that the articles inside were anything but bright. One of them mentioned the Easter explosion that killed a large group of kids. Gwen felt chills down her back from reading that article.

Ben cleared his throat, sheepish. "Uh, well, when I first moved here I didn't really have anyone to hangout with. So, I started spending my time in the library." He shyly admitted to them.

As the binder was passed down to Bill, Richie made a comment. "Again I have to ask, you went to the library? On purpose?"

Gwen playfully hit one of his arms. "Beep beep, Richie."

In return Richie stuck out his tongue towards her and Gwen was quick to do the same thing to him. They both wanted to break out into smiles, but they held them in.

Beverly who had been listening, got up and took off her sunglasses. "Oh, I wanna see." She said as she walked their way. The red head took a seat next to Bill, making the Denbrough boy tense up.

"What's The Black Spot?" Stan questioned remembering one of the articles he had seen in the binder.

Ben was quick to answer him. "The Black Spot was a nightclub that was burnt down years ago."

Something clicked in Gwen's head. "Wait, wasn't it burnt down by the Maine Legion of White Decency? That racist group?" She could have sworn she had heard about this before.

Ben somberly nodded his head. "Yeah."

Gwen had a feeling uneasiness go through her. Her thoughts taking a more serious route. _So much tragedy is such a small town...something wasn't right here._ Her thoughts however were forgotten when she heard Bill speak.

"Your h-h-hair." Bill said looking at Beverly. He was pointing out the obvious and he felt stupid for doing so. He was looking at her with awe, very much wanting to compliment her, but he just couldn't find the words to express himself.

Beverly anxiously waited to hear what he had to say about her new haircut. Her heart rate kept increasing the longer he silently stared at her. And just when the silence was about to head towards awkward territory, someone else payed her a compliment.

"Your hair is beautiful, Beverly." Ben sheepishly added with a heartfelt smile. To him she looked beautiful even with short hair. She'd _always_ be beautiful in his eyes.

Bill lowered his gaze, unhappy with himself for not being able to say what he was thinking.

"Oh..." Beverly said slightly disappointed, running a hand through her short hair. She appreciated Ben's compliment, she really did. She however wished it had been Bill who had said it. Still, she gave Ben a friendly smile. "Right...thanks."

Although their conversation had taken a awkward turn, Gwen decided to keep the conversation going. The Tozier girl was completely unaware how much Ben and _Bill_ were crushing over the red head. So far she only knew of Ben's crush on Beverly. "See I told you, it's a total badass haircut." She added merrily to her friend.

Beverly smiled at her cheerfulness, but was still disappointed she hadn't heard anything from Bill.

Seeing Gwen smiling, and overall happy, made Stan speak up. "Your hair is nice too, Gwen." He suddenly said, wanting to compliment his crush. His cheeks held a barely noticeable pink taint to them as the Tozier girl moved her gaze towards him.

Gwen noticed now that own his hair was dry, his natural curls were back. She found this to be adorable. The sun caused her dark eyes to get a soft gleam as she looked at him. She threw a smile his way. "Aw, thanks, Stan."

"Don't lie to her, Stan." Richie said, once again ruining whatever moment they were having. "You've seen how it is in the morning when she wakes up." He let out a humor filled laugh. "It looks like a fuckin' wild birds nest."

"Shut up, Richie!" Gwen shouted resisting the urge to laugh. She wasn't really embarrassed or mad at him for saying that. Everyone there already (well other than Ben and Beverly) knew how messy her hair was in the morning. Bill, Eddie, and Stan had slept over at their house in the past, so they've seen how tangled her dark roots got after she'd wake up. Gwen however didn't care how blah she looked bright and early in the day. The Tozier girl felt comfortable enough around them to not worry about her appearance. Her response to her brother was just a routine thing. This was regular sibling banter between them. Richie would say something facetious to her and then she'd respond with either _"Shut up, Richie"_ or his ever favorite saying from her, which was, _"Beep beep, Richie."_ Right now the first option won.

Although Gwen was seeing his comment in a more lighter way, Stan was not. He narrowed his eyes at Richie. "I don't think it's that wild." He said coming to Gwen's defense. He'd seen his crushes hair in the morning whenever he ended sleeping over at the Tozier residence. And although he hated to agree with Richie, the bespectacled boy was right. Gwen's hair wasn't exactly the greatest in the morning. But then again, whose was? His certainly wasn't. His curls often annoyed him due to how all over the place they would get. However, his feelings for Gwen didn't decrease because of her messy hair. Even if he himself didn't like messes or disorganization, he'd see past his OCD for Gwen.

 _Only for her._

Richie was quick to twist and throw back his curly haired friend's words. "Ha!" He said pointing a finger at Stan making him jump a little in place. "But you still agree that it's somewhat wild."

"What? No, I..." Stan's eyes widen. He quickly went over what he said in his head. After thoroughly thinking it over, he let out a huff. Damn Richie for twisting his words. Although it was his own fault. He should have thought carefully with what he had to say before speaking. Especially in front of Richie. Stan looked at Gwen, his cheeks feeling hot from embarrassment."Well, uh..." He gulped, nervously.

As much as she wanted to say it was no big deal, Gwen was curious to hear what he would say to her. The longer she waited the more awkward silence began to fill the air. It was the only thing that could be heard...well other than Richie's low snickering. Unknown to her this only caused Stan to throw him a discreet type of glare. Just as she was about to say something herself, a soft voice beat her to it.

"Well, I think your natural hair is nice." Eddie said coming to the rescue.

It was a surprise to Gwen that the small boy had the been the one to end the awkwardness, but she smiled at him nonetheless. "Thanks, Eds."

Eddie blushed hearing her say that nickname she specially saved for him. He nodded his head at her before averting his eyes away. From the side, Stan was inwardly berating himself at how lame he was being.

" _Ugh_ , enough with the compliments." Richie whined rolling his eyes halfheartedly.

Gwen playfully pushed Richie. The bespectacled boy made a show of how she had _almost_ pushed him off the rock he was sitting on. Her response to this was a smile and another round of " _Beep beep, Richie."_

Richie then adjusted his glasses, becoming a tad bit more serious. "Why is it all murders and missing kids?"

"Derry's not like any town I've ever been in before." Ben uneasily explained to them. Everyone looked to be on edge as he continued talking. By now the music playing on the boombox was practically nonexistent to them. "I did a study once, and it turns out people die six times the national average."

Gwen felt her stomach drop at hearing this. She immediately thought about Chase and Georgie.

"You read that?" Beverly asked more worried than fascinated at that morbid information of their town.

Ben looked at her and nodded his head. "And that's just grown ups. Kids are worse, way, way worse."

 _Kids are worse, way, way worse..._

That sentence kept repeating in Gwen's head over and over again. Luckily Ben spoke up, making that endless loop come to a sudden stop.

"I've got more stuff if you wanna see." Ben informed his friends.

The rest of them all looked at each other. Even though Gwen was severely disturbed at her town's history, she couldn't deny the curiosity she now had. In fact, she along with Richie, Bill, Beverly, and Stan, were all so curious that they didn't even see Eddie shaking his head in protest.

Within minutes, all of them had gotten dressed and were cycling to Ben's house.

* * *

One by one they each entered Ben's house and bedroom. Said boy was awkwardly standing with his hand pressed against his closet door, trying to look nonchalant.

The rest of them were taken back by all the newspaper clippings and full articles that were all over Ben's bedroom walls. To Gwen this whole area looked like a mini detective's room. Ben had really done his research on Derry.

"Wow." Richie exclaimed with false excitement.

Ben smiled, happy to finally have other people _―friends_ _―_ inside his room. "Cool, huh?"

"No, no, nothing cool." Richie said shaking his head with a smile still on his face.

Gwen rolled her eyes at her brother behavior. She sent Ben an apologetic look causing the boy to smile back in return. "I see you managed to read that book I recommended." She said as her eyes wandered around his room.

Ben nodded his head. "Yeah, that book was helpful." He replied, honestly. Even if the book did cause him to see the headless boy. He shuddered at the memory of the encounter he had with it.

Richie and Gwen walked to the wall that had images of maps and articles. "Well, this is cool." He said before scrunching up his face. "No, wait never mind."

Stan and Eddie approached the siblings and stared at the printings in front of them. "What's this?" Stan asked pointing to said article.

Ben's gaze shifted from Beverly who was looking around his room, onto Stan and the others. "Oh, that? That's the Charter for Derry's Township." He answered once he saw what he was pointing at.

Richie let out a scoff as he fixed his glasses. "Nerd alert."

"I wouldn't say anything. _Mr. I Collect Comics_." Gwen said teasing her brother.

Richie was quick to retort back to her. "Hey! Those are gonna be worth a lot one day. You'll see."

Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"Actually it's pretty interesting." Ben said gaining their attention. "Derry started as a beaver training camp."

Richie let out a laugh. "Still is! Am I right, boys?" He said raising his hands towards Stan and Eddie. Eddie didn't even look his way, while Stan just shook his head due to his foolishness. When he realized they weren't going to five high him, Richie turned to look at his sister, with now only one of his hand in the air.

Gwen amusingly shook her head. "Put your hand down. I'm not gonna high five you."

Richie huffed, lowering his hand.

"Ninety-one people signed the Charter that made Derry, but later that Winter, they all disappeared without a trace." Ben continued informing them, causing unsettled expressions to cross all of their faces.

"The entire camp?" Eddie questioned in disbelief.

Gwen felt her stomach do twists as she processed this new information.

"There were rumors of Indians but no signs of an attack." Ben explained to his friends. "Everybody just thought it was a plague or something. But it's like one day everybody woke up and left. The only clue was a trail of bloody clothes leading to the Well house."

Chills went down Gwen's arms when Ben finished telling the story.

"Jesus..." Richie uttered, slightly losing his lighthearted demeanor. He nudged his sister. "We could get Derry on _Unsolved Mysteries!_ "

"Somehow I doubt that..." Gwen muttered, still feeling on edge.

"W-Where's the Well house?" Bill asked finally speaking up. He had been lingering back, silently taking in all the information the bedroom had plastered on the walls. Right now he was staring at some of the projector slides Ben had on his desk with interest.

Ben who had been distracted due to Beverly finding his _New Kids On The Block_ poster (which thankfully she kept the discovery to herself), hurriedly turned to look at Bill. "I don't know." He replied trying to get over whatever embarrassment he was feeling. "Somewhere in town, I guess." He tilted his head at his friend. "Why?"

Bill's gaze went out Ben's window. As he looked at the blue sky, his thoughts were running around in his head. "No-Nothing..." He stammered out as a reply.

Gwen looked his way. Her dark eyes softened in concern when she saw how crestfallen he appeared to be. She started to make her way towards him, but came to a stop when a very familiar article on one of Ben's desks caught her attention. She stared at with a complete woebegone expression. As she picked up the article and read the title, she started to feel the room get smaller on her. Her hands shook as she kept reading the article title in her head.

 _ **Local Town Boy Commits Suicide**_

There underneath the title was a picture of Chase.

In the picture he looked happy. He was smiling. He was _alive_.

Gwen felt her heartbreak all over again at the rediscovery of said article. Memories of Chase from when he had been alive flooded her head. She felt like breaking down.

From besides her, it was Stan to have noticed her wretched state. "Gwen, are you okay?" He asked her, concerned. It didn't take him long to realize what the article she had in hand was about. Now he understood why she looked so shook.

All the others were looking at her with worry now. Richie especially, as he came to stand next to her. When he saw the news article with Chase's picture he cursed in his head. "Gwen?" He softly called her name, hoping to bring her out of her grief-stricken daze.

The Tozier girl however didn't look at her brother. She instead turned to look at Ben, her dark eyes already close to tearing up. "Why in the world do you have this?" She choked out.

Ben shifted his weight between his feet due to how desolate she looked. "Well, like I said, I've been researching all the deaths in Derry. I know his was a suicide, but it was still something I looked into. I didn't want to look past it."

With shaky hands, Gwen lowered the article back onto the desk. "I-I should, uh, leave." She said, her voice wavering with emotion. "Yeah, I have to go..." And without saying else and ignoring all of their worried glances, Gwen ran out of the room.

"No wait, Gwen!" Richie tried calling out to his sister. It was too late though. From Ben's bedroom window, he and the others saw the older girl get on her bike and ride away.

"What happened?" Ben asked confused by the older girl's sudden distress.

"She knew the boy from the article." Beverly sadly informed him.

Ben's eyes widen a little. "She did?"

"Yeah, they were friends." Eddie said with a low voice.

"But she liked him..." Richie added somberly. He could still feel his sister's distress run through him. "She liked him a lot."

At the mention of Gwen's crush on the Campbell boy, Stan just nodded his head, feeling dejected.

Ben felt terrible now. "I had no idea. I'm sorry." He sincerely apologized, a guilty expression grew on his face.

"It's alright. Like you s-s-said, you d-d-didn't know." Bill said trying to reassure him.

"Richie?" Ben nervously called out to him.

Said boy shook his head. All he could think about was his older sister's well-being. "I have to go check on her." He said telling his friends. "She's probably on her way to the house. I'll see you guys later." Richie said before making his way out of the Hanscom residence.

With sorrowful faces (Ben's being more guilt-ridden), each of them said goodbye to the bespectacled boy.

* * *

Gwen didn't go back home like Richie thought she did.

No, the Tozier girl instead rode her bike to the one place her heart was telling her to go.

Chase's house...well _old_ house.

No longer being able to contain her dismal emotions, Gwen finally released out the tears she had been fighting against at Ben's house. As the tears went down her face, she felt her heart ache again for her deceased crush.

Although she was heavily affected by the news article she found in Ben's house, Gwen wasn't mad at the young boy. Finding the news article just shocked her. Seeing Chase's picture (were he was happy and alive) got to her. It got to her _badly_. Past memories of her and Chase were once again entering her head. She sniffed her runny nose and wiped at her cheeks.

 _I miss you, Chase. God, I miss you so much. Why did any of this have to happen? Why? Why? Why?!_

Gwen released another despairing sob. She was finding all this to be too much...being here in front of his old house was too much...and yet she couldn't move. This two-story blue house was a constant reminder of Chase. And that was melancholic for Gwen.

The sudden movement from one of the upstairs bedroom windows instantly alerted Gwen. She narrowed her dark eyes in disbelief. Doubts started to enter her head. Did she really just see that? It had to be her eyes playing tricks with her. There was no way _―_

Her dubious thoughts stopped when she saw swift movement again. It was a shadow of some sorts and this time Gwen knew she hadn't imagined it. Someone was upstairs...but why? And _who_? Her eyes went to the front door and she was taken back to see how the door was slightly opened. It hadn't been open before...or had it? She honestly couldn't remember.

A part of her wanted to get on her bike and ride away, but another part of her was transfixed in entering the house. Gwen not only wanted to know who was inside, but the Tozier girl wanted to be the one to personally kick them out for entering the house that once belonged to the boy she liked. This person had no right in being in there. No right whatsoever.

Her anger and curiosity won in the end.

Leaving behind her backpack and bike on the ground, Gwen found herself marching towards the front door. With determined steps to get this person out, she made her way inside, making sure to not fully close the door behind her.

"Excuse me?!" She shouted fiercely. "Who ever is in here, you need to get the hell out. This isn't your _―"_ She stopped her command when soft music entered her ears. Gwen couldn't right away comprehend the lyrics, but she knew that the music was coming from upstairs. This bewildered her because there was nothing left from the Campbell's. So just what was causing the music to play? Although on edge, Gwen still found herself slowly going up the stairs. With each step the lyrics started to become more clear to her.

 _You are here_  
 _Sha bop sha bop_  
 _And so am I_  
 _Sha bop sha bop_

The Tozier girl did not know nor recognized the song that was playing. She had a wild guess though that it was a song from the fifties. It sounded like it was. The lyrics however made the song seem more haunting than romantic.

 _Maybe millions of people go by_  
 _But they all disappear from view_  
 _And I only have eyes for you_

Gwen was now standing in front of the bedroom door where the music was coming from behind. Her heart ached more knowing this was Chase's old bedroom. She knew this because of the times she had come over to work on school assignments. She had trouble turning the knob, but the need to know who was there and what was playing the music gave her the determination to open the door.

Once she opened the door, Gwen was left feeling perplexed.

There was no one and nothing in the bedroom.

It was empty.

What got her to be more freaked out was that the music had stopped playing.

 _The hell?_

Gwen let her gaze wander all over the bedroom. How was that even possible? She heard music. She saw a shadow, she was sure of it. Maybe she was losing her damn mind...

With a unsettled frown, Gwen shut the bedroom door. When she turned around she was met with a gruesome and terrifying sight. That frightening dark icky slime covered zombie, _Tarman_ from _The Return of the Living Dead_ movies was right there in front of her. _What the fuck?!_ No...this wasn't real. This wasn't happening.

All skepticism she had went out the window when she heard it speak.

 _"Hmm, girly brains...so tasty."_

She let out a scream as the thing walked forward, ready to touch her.

Gwen managed to dodge the _Tarman's_ arms and she was quick to run down the stairs. All she was thinking was that she needed to get the hell out of there. She was in such a panic state that she missed the last step on the stairs. This caused her to fall face front to the ground. She let out a groan of pain. The dark haired girl knew she couldn't dwell on the pain. She need to get up and run.

Before she was even able to get herself up, she felt a harsh tug on one of her ankles. Gwen craned her neck, scared to see that the _Tarman_ had caught up with her. Except what she ended up seeing was not the _Tarman_. No, what she saw was way more disturbing.

There tugging at her ankle was Patrick Hockstetter. His skin was slightly decomposed and his hair was a matted mess, but Gwen still recognized him. His sudden appearance made Gwen's heart race in trepidation. She was so scared and shocked that she became frozen in place. A she tried working through her scared state, the Tozier girl saw his dark soulless eyes gleam.

" _I can make you feel better, Gwen."_ Patrick's sickening grin appeared wide on his face. The same grin that made her so much discomfort. He licked his lips as his grime covered hands slid up her legs in a suggestive way. _"Let me make you feel better."_

Repulsed by the dirty touch, Gwen started to kick her legs. She wasn't about to be taken advantage of by whatever this thing was. Either the _Tarman_ or a decomposed version of Patrick. As she fought against the thing, Gwen didn't at all notice the brief warmth coming from her necklace. With a growl from this thing, the hold that was on her was suddenly gone, and Gwen used this chance to get up and run. She didn't stop nor looked back until she was outside, on the sidewalk.

It was then that she finally saw the clown standing on Chase's front porch.

Dressed in a renaissance type of inspired costume, the clown stood at six feet tall. His face was painted white, along with a red painted nose. The top of his head was huge with orange hair covering around it. The way it just stood there made Gwen's breathing escalate.

"Who...what..." She couldn't finish her sentence. The shock was too much.

Even despite having some distance with the clown, he must have heard her because a sickening grin grew on his face. Said smile only creeped her out more do to the red painted smile the clown had on. Except what really got to her were the eyes.

They were yellow. Like the ones in her dreams (or should she say nightmares).

Only this time this was real, and she was beginning to realize that last time hadn't been a dream (nightmare) either. She jumped in place when laughter filled the air.

 _"I'm Pennywise the Dancing Clown!"_ The clown cackled, those yellow eyes of his darkening. _"But you my dear can call me Robert Gray."_

With wide eyes, Gwen started to back away further into the street. She saw amusement in the clown's features as she did this.

 _"Where you going, Gwen? Don't you want a balloon?"_ The clown eerily asked as he brought out a red balloon from behind him. _"This one's special...just for you."_

Gwen didn't stop her walking, which only caused the clown's eyes to glow more yellow.

" _Honk_ , _Honk!"_ The clown tittered, relished by her fear. His sickening smile expanded due to how scared and timid she looked.

It was then that Gwen heard a car coming her way. Letting out a scream, Gwen managed to move just in time before it ran her over. Whoever was driving didn't even stop to make sure she was okay. They just kept going. Gwen though had other things to focus on. She reluctantly turned towards Chase's house again only to see that the clown was no longer there. The front door was closed and no shadows could be seen from any of the upstairs windows. The only evidence to show her that encounter actually happened was the single red balloon that was floating away into the sky.

With the coast clear, Gwen ran towards her belongings. Keeping her guard up, she grabbed her backpack and hopped onto her bike. Within seconds she was already down the street on her way home. Her trepidation did not falter no matter how far away she got from Chase's house...away from that clown.

If anything Gwen was still on high alert, and the dread she was feeling grew as she made her way home.

Especially when she saw a new missing person's poster with Patrick Hockstetter's picture on it.

That certainly did _not_ lower her uneasiness.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** So I was able to write this **short** chapter for you guys before my midterms. I have a feeling you guys are gonna like the beginning of this chapter since it involves a little bit of the Bowers Gang - more so with Victor. :P Enjoy! Also I know Gwen may seem a little insensitive and mopey right now but remember she's going through a rough and traumatic time. So she's not gonna be giving Richie her usual lightheartedness. And because of her close relationship with Bill, she's gonna find more comfort with him. You guys will understand what I mean when the story moves forward._

 _ **P.S.** I also do not own any music or bands mentioned in this chapter. This chapter towards the end hit me pretty hard when writing because the song **Asleep by The Smiths** was a song I used to listen to a lot when I was low with my depression. It's a good song, but it just makes you feel all emotional inside. _

* * *

_"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."_ _― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11: Always there for you**_

The small town of Derry had officially named Patrick Hockstetter a missing person.

This news _―_ although in theory was _terrible_ and should have left people even more worried for the safety of the rest of the kids in Derry _―_ was just unstirred by many town folks. To them it was just another kid who had the misfortune of suffering the same fate the other missing kids had. So as awful as it sounded, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

The people in Derry resumed back to their every day lives. As if nothing had happened.

However, the disappearance of Patrick left an unsettling feeling within Henry Bowers and his two buddies...for a little while anyways.

After that encounter they had with the fat boy, Henry initially figured Patrick went off on a bender after he couldn't find him. That was something he was capable of doing. But that thought went away once the posters with Patrick's face started going around town.

Patrick was missing, and it's now been a week since the confirmation of his disappearance.

Hearing such news at the beginning made Henry feel a variety of things.

Anger, annoyance, and dare he say he was troubled. Not that he'd never admit that last part.

Belch out of all of them was probably the most worried. Yes, he knew Patrick was unstable, but he had known the guy since they were kids. He couldn't just feel nothing about his absence. He was rattled alright...not that he made it known with his facial expressions. He kept his emotions hidden.

And then there was Victor...

The sleek white-blonde haired boy was probably the one least emotionally affected by Patrick's disappearance. Was he weirded out? Yeah, but that didn't mean he was going to be full on sentimental for Patrick of all people. Sure they hung out, but unlike with Henry and Belch, Victor never liked him to begin with, so why spill tears over someone he was never close to? Seemed incredibly fake to Victor to put on a sad act over someone who never had a impact in his life.

"Idiot should have known better than to wander off on his own." Henry muttered to his two companions. The trio were inside Belch's car parked outside the music shop, their conversation had gone back to the topic of Patrick's disappearance when they saw a poster of him stabled onto one of the poles out in front. This was a topic that despite Henry's rough exterior at the mention of it, Victor and Belch knew it left the Bowers boy more forlorn than irked.

 _You were the one that told him to go after Ben._ Victor thought but kept quiet. He knew saying this would just piss off Henry and the last thing he wanted was to deal with Henry's anger directed towards him. Especially since the Bowers boy was still giving him shit for being able to find his precious knife. Little did he know Victor did find it, but he left on the ground hidden underneath a pile of leaves.

"You think maybe he'll just randomly show up?" Belch asked drawing Henry's attention towards him. He was trying to sound nonchalant, but deep down he wanted an actual answer to his question.

Henry kept his face firm from any form of vulnerable emotions. "Nah, once you end up on one of those posters you're done for. He ain't coming back."

 _He was right about that._ Victor let his gaze wander off to the sky, trying his hardest to think about anything else other than Patrick. His peace and quiet came to an end when Belch spoke up.

"Hey, check it out." Belch said nudging Henry's shoulder.

Henry lifted his gaze and his eyes gleamed with spiteful intent at what he saw. There leaving the Mr. Keene's Pharmacy was Gwen Tozier. The bitch that had right hooked him in the nose. His anger intensified at the memory of her getting the upper hand on him. The need to get even with her was growing by the second of each day. He really wanted to show her that her rightful place was her being underneath him. Whether she was withering from pain or pleasure, it didn't matter to him. Just as long as he was the one overpowering her.

With studious concern, Victor took in the current state Gwen was in. Even from where he was at he could still see how desolated she looked. There were dark bags under her eyes and she wasn't exactly dressed up nicely. But her sense of style never bothered Victor, especially not now. He was more concerned about how glum she appeared to be.

Victor Criss was not the type of guy to be easily swayed by a girl. Sure in the past he's had his fair share of crushes, (he was a guy after all) but never had any of them made him want to become ethical.

That was until his feelings for Gwen Tozier showed out of the blue.

Such feelings that became more well known to him a couple of months before they started the sixth grade. By then Gwen's romantic attention was solely directed upon Chase Campbell. Leaving Victor to silently admire her from a far. Now she might have denied her feeling for Chase saying she only saw the Campbell boy as a friend, but Victor knew that was a lie. The sleek white-blonde haired boy saw the way she would like at the blue eyed boy. It was the same way he would look at her from time to time. It was a look that held utter devotion. And it was a look he wanted her to give to him. But Victor knew she never would.

 _Always the one to love, but never the one to be loved._

Victor remembered reading that somewhere before, and he couldn't help but think about himself when thinking about that saying. Now did he love Gwen? No, not yet. He did like her a lot though. So he maybe in the future (if ever given the chance to show her) his feelings for her could turn into love.

However, the sad truth was that he didn't stand a chance of doing so because of Chase Campbell. Even now that he was gone. Chase Campbell would forever be a competitor for the affections of Gwen Tozier.

The blue eyed boy had been Derry, Maine's golden boy. And Victor himself was a troubled boy who had friends who were even more troubled. What would Gwen ever see in him?

Absolutely nothing.

Still, despite him knowing this, his feelings for her remained. Intensified even as the years went by.

He was a damn fool for liking someone that would never want him back, but he held no regrets for his feelings towards Gwen. None whatsoever.

Victor's alarms in his head began to ring like crazy when he saw how Henry was ready to confront Gwen. He let out a sigh of relief when they all saw a older woman step out from the pharmacy. Victor recognized her as Gwen's mother. He felt the tension in his shoulders leave knowing Henry wouldn't cause a scene with Gwen's mother there with her.

"That dyke's days are numbered." Henry said causing Victor to keep a steady gaze at him. He right away saw the dark expression Henry had on become more determined. His lips curled upwards with excitement. "She won't even see what's coming her way."

That made something twist within Victor's stomach. The sleek white-blonde haired could tell he wasn't the only one bothered by Henry's comment. He could see from side glance, the mildly disturbed look Belch had on. The burly sized male didn't say anything...just kept quiet.

As did Victor. Except he was quiet because he had thoughts going around his head. Thoughts that included ways of how to intervene Henry for when the terrible time came for his confrontation with Gwen.

Victor knew that whenever that would happen in the near future, it wouldn't be a pretty site. So he needed to be ready because he wasn't about to let Henry hurt the girl he liked. He just needed to be slick on how to stop any execrable intentions Henry had for Gwen. Maybe then...just maybe, Gwen would finally realize his feelings for her and she'd return them.

Despite telling himself this, something within Victor told him otherwise.

* * *

Hidden in her bedroom wallowing in her mess of emotions, Gwen lazily reached over to where her boombox was at to push the replay button again.

She kept replaying the song _Asleep_ by _The Smiths_ on her boombox in order to get forget about that creepy old song she had heard back at Chase's house. Everything that happened there was a memory the Tozier girl did _not_ want to keep. It just ruined her other memories and what made things worse was that encounter happened inside Chase's house. The blue house she once used to spend time with her beloved crush. After what happened though with the _Tarman_ , the decomposed version of Patrick, and that fearsome looking clown, Gwen never wanted to step foot in there again. She wanted to move on...but she couldn't.

Patrick's grotesque form kept lingering in her head. The touch from his grime covered hands on her legs made Gwen want to shower until her skin was red from scrubbing (which was something she did do when she had arrived home after that encounter). Those missing posters she kept seeing around town weren't making things any better. Despite not having actual proof, Gwen knew Patrick was gone... _dead_. Something within her told her so. He had ended up suffering the same fate like all those other missing kids before him. And this left Gwen feeling woozy. Why? Well because Gwen had found out about his disappearance right after she saw the decomposed version of him.

Despite Patrick being one hell of a disturbed individual, Gwen found his disappearance to be just as disturbing as well. Especially after what she saw at Chase's house.

Gwen however didn't want to think about Patrick anymore. She also wanted to push away the memory of the _Tarman_ , and of that eerie clown with the bright yellow eyes. Yellow eyes she had been seeing in her nightmares since she was little. Except what she really wanted to go away was that creepy song that stayed with her.

Now was listening to the same song by _The Smiths_ on repeat working? No, that eerie old fifties song was very much implanted in her head. She however couldn't find it within herself to change the song to something different...more uplifting. At this point Gwen didn't feel like doing much. Well, besides the endless crying she had been doing, and the laying around in bed under the covers. Although that had very much had to do with the antidepressants she had been taking again. She had gotten a refill on her prescription two days ago, after her mother had forced her to get out of bed. Since then those pills left her feeling _low_ with energy.

Her ears perked up a bit when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom. She didn't even turn around from her laying position, already knowing who was about to come in.

The door slowly opened and then she heard footsteps walking to where she was at. They stopped once they reached the side of her bed where she was snuggling under the covers. Despite not wanting to, Gwen lifted the covers off her face

"I made you a sandwich." Richie said trying his best to give his older sister a solace like smile.

"I'm not hungry." Gwen uttered, restrained.

A worried expression settled on Richie's face from hearing that. "Gwen, you need to eat something." When he saw how she wasn't going to respond back he took a lighter approach. "I even added extra guacamole, just how you like."

Yet again no response came from Gwen, just a blank stare.

Richie's lightheartedness faltered and resolute soon replaced it. "Come on, Gwen." He begged. She hadn't eaten that much today. In the morning before their parents left (their dad had gone to work and their mother had left to help plan the fourth of July festival that was still a couple weeks away), Gwen had only eaten half the food on her plate. Surely that couldn't have been enough for her. If there was one thing Richie knew about his sister it was that she loved to eat. Except now here she was denying a source of nutrition. This just added more to the pile of worry he was having for her. "Gwen?" He called out, much softer this time.

Gwen released a tired sigh. "Just...go away."

 _No...not this again._ Richie thought in panic, his heart racing with foreboding. _Don't push me away, Gwen...not again...please no._ He didn't want to be pushed away...not from her. She was all he had in this misunderstood house of theirs. He set the plate on her night stand as he kneeled down in front of her. He stared into her dark eyes, the very same ones he had himself. As he stared at her his expression became melancholic. "What's wrong, Gwen?" He'd been understanding enough to give her space all last week, but he was afraid the more he did so the more she'd become distant again with him. He did not want that...

For a brief moment there, Gwen was almost going to tell Richie everything she had seen at Chase's house. Right at the last second though, she closed her mouth. The realization of how crazy she was going to sound if she told the truth shut her up. Not only would she have sounded like a loon, but Gwen didn't want to freak out her little brother. The Tozier girl knew of Richie's fear towards clowns. How would he have reacted if she said she saw not only the _Tarman_ , a decomposed Patrick, and a scary looking clown as well? Not good.

So as much as she wanted to tell him, Gwen didn't. She tried keeping her voice steady as she spoke. "I can't tell you, Richie."

"Yes, you can." Richie told her intently. "You know you can tell me anything."

Seeing her little brother speaking to her so earnestly and wholeheartedly made Gwen want to bawl her eyes out. Except she didn't want to cry in front of him, so she instead gave him a pleading look. "Richie, just leave me alone... _please_."

Despite not seeing the tears go down her cheeks, Richie knew his sister was close to crying. He wanted to stay and comfort her (as any brother would), but the pleading tone of her voice had him reluctantly giving her the space she was wanting. "Okay..." He replied lowly. He stood back up and just as he was about to step outside her room, she spoke up over the songs lyrics (which of course was being replayed again...just like it had been for the last hour).

"Take the sandwich with you."

Richie frowned, but went back to get the sandwich. Once he had it, Richie gave Gwen one last concerned look before finally exiting her bedroom, closing the door behind him. As he walked down the stairs to make his way towards the kitchen he couldn't help but think...why? Why was this happening to his older sister again? Right away the answer was because of the article she had seen at Ben's house...but something told Richie that wasn't the only thing causing for his older sister to feel so down with herself.

Richie wanted to know why because he wanted to help Gwen. Except how could he help her if she wasn't even willing to talk to him? God, it was like all the progress they had made between each other was now going down the toilet now.

Knocking on the front door had Richie slightly bemused. He wasn't expecting anyone to show up today. Nevertheless curious he quickly put Gwen's sandwich in the fridge before walking over to the front door. When he opened it and saw who was there, his bemusement grew even more.

"Bill?" Richie asked confused as to why he, Ben, Eddie, and Stan were standing there unannounced. "What's up?"

"Beverly called me." Bill said quick to inform his bespectacled friend the current issue on hand. "She s-s-said she needs t-to show all of us s-something."

Despite being extremely curious on what exactly Beverly needed to show them, Richie shook his head. All he could focus on the moment was on his older sister and her current state of depression. "Look right now isn't a good time."

That had all of the boys frowning, but Bill was more vocal with his response. "H-H-How come?"

Richie sighed, aghast. "Gwen has barely gotten out of bed so far today. She's having another one of her episodes."

"She is?" Stan questioned with soft features. His heart instantly started aching for his crush. For the last week he had found it odd that Gwen hadn't been hanging with them. Richie had just told them that she wanted some time to herself. Now he knew the real reason. He felt stupid for not realizing this sooner. He knew of these _episodes_ Gwen would have. As of matter of fact they all knew (well except Ben, who was now catching on) and none of them liked that she had to go through that.

Richie solemnly nodded his head. "Yeah, so it's not a good day today."

"It's because of that article she found in my room, isn't it?" Ben suddenly asked, quietly. He still felt extremely bad for causing Gwen such distress. He never would have kept that article in plain site if he knew the attachment Gwen had with the Campbell boy.

Richie didn't need to verbally reply back to him to confirm that question. The rare somber expression he had on was enough for Ben to understand. He lowered his eyes, feeling more awful with himself.

"B-B-But Gwen needs to go t-t-too." Bill persisted causing Richie's attention to go onto him.

The Tozier boy couldn't help but harden his eyes on him a bit. "I just said today's not a good day. She just wants to be left alone."

"What if I-I-I talk to her." Bill earnestly suggested, completely disregarding Richie's irked expression. He wanted to talk to Gwen and get her out of the funk she was in. And it wasn't just because he wanted to go see Beverly. Bill really wanted to help Gwen. After everything the Tozier girl had done to comfort him with Georgie's disappearance, Bill wanted to be the one to help her now. It was time he starting doing so.

As Bill was thinking this to himself, Richie's discontent grew. "You? You want to talk to her?" He questioned with a heavy frown. That foreign jealousy he once had towards Bill was slapping him right across the face again. Why did Bill think he would be able to persuade Gwen to get out of bed? If Richie wasn't able to (her own brother), than surely Bill's attempts would be futile.

"Fine, we'll all g-g-go see her then." Bill replied taken back by his tone of voice. He however was still unaware of Richie's jealousy towards him.

Richie opened his mouth ready to retort something back to the Denbrough boy, but Eddie's rushed reply beat him to it.

"It wouldn't hurt to try." The small looking boy squeaked out trying to move things along.

Stan nodded his head agreeing because he really wanted to see Gwen. "Yeah, Richie, maybe seeing us will help her some how."

As much as Richie wanted to say no, he knew it would be awful to refuse help for Gwen. Maybe seeing all of them, minus Beverly (and not just Bill) would finally get her out of bed. He opened the door wider for them. "Alright, come on in."

One by one each boy entered the Tozier residence. Ben who had never stepped foot inside Richie and Gwen's house looked around the inside with close attention. "Are your parents home?" He asked curious to know if he would run into his parents.

Richie let out a low scoff. No matter how low it was, the scoff Ben heard made him right away understand the estranged relationship between Richie and his parents. "No, dad's at work and mom is helping with the decoration committee for the fourth of July festival."

"But that's still a couple weeks away." Eddie was quick to point out.

Richie shrugged his shoulders. "My mom likes to get things done." He said nonchalantly. "Whatever gets her out of the house more, I guess."

None of the boys knew how to responded to that. They could sense the awkwardness that came to the topic of his parents. So they just instead focused on climbing up the stairs heading towards Gwen's room. As they reached the top, Eddie furrowed his eyebrows. "Is she listening to music?"

"Yeah." Richie nodded his head once hearing the familiar melancholic lyrics again.

 _"The Smiths?_ " Stan questioned, bemused. Now that they were standing behind her bedroom door he recognized the band's lyrics to the song, _Asleep._

Richie's expression became humorless. Which was a odd facial expression to see on the thirteen year old. "She's been playing that damn song over and over again for the last hour."

All boys looked at each other with even more concern for their older friend.

 _Well shit...this is serious._

Just as Richie was about to open the bedroom door, Bill grabbed a hold of the knob first. Not even wasting another second, the Denbrough boy opened the door, completely unaware of the harden look Richie was now throwing him. After Bill went inside first, the rest of the boys followed behind his entrance. They all right away noticed (other than that very sad song that was playing) how dark it was inside Gwen's room. Her curtains were closed, which right away alarmed Bill, Eddie, and Stan. All three boys knew (thanks to their constant visits) how Gwen liked her bedroom to be bright, hence why she always had her curtains opened during the day. At the moment there was no light. It looked as if it was night time. Which it wasn't...it wasn't even the afternoon yet.

"I told you I wasn't hungry, Richie." Gwen said with a dispirited tone of voice.

The way she sounded out of energy and just so sad, made all of them (especially Stan) give her blanket covered laying figure sorry filled expressions.

Bill got closer to her bed and turned off the boombox. "G-G-Gwen, it's us." He stammered out. They all saw her turn in her bed to look at them.

"Oh..." Gwen uttered with a lack of her usual enthusiasm when seeing the familiar group of boys in her bedroom. She furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled. "What are you guys doing here?" She switched her eyes over to where Richie was standing between Eddie and Stan. "Did you call them over?" She questioned her brother.

Richie shook his head and was ready to explain to her what was going, but Bill stepped closer to her. "Beverly called. S-S-She needs us to come over to her place. She needs all of us to b-b-be there."

Beverly needed them? That alone made Gwen want to get out of bed, but she once again stopped herself. The memory of that awful clown invaded her mind. She shook her head. "I can't go." _They'll think I've gone crazy...God, maybe I am..._

"P-P-Please, Gwen." Bill said suddenly taking a hold of her hand. He looked into her eyes, pleading. " I-I-I know you're going through something, because I am t-t-too." He solemnly admitted to her. He could see it in her eyes. Something unnerving was bothering her. And it wasn't just because of Chase's article...no there was _something_ else. "Whatever it is we c-c-can help you. I-I can help you. B-B-But right now Beverly needs you. We all d-d-do. We h-h-have to be there for each other."

His words got to her. Gwen looked over to where the rest of the boys were. Her brother was looking at her with the same concerned expression he had on before. Ben was nodding his head, with a full on apologetic look set on his face. Eddie gave her a small smile of comfort, and Stan's eyes held softness in them as he stared at her. It made her heartbeat go a bit faster. She pulled her hand away from Bill's and reached for the Turtle necklace she had on, gently touching it. With a new sense of strength thanks to all of them being here, Gwen nodded her head

"Okay." She said finally getting up from bed, putting aside her despondent feelings for now. Beverly needed their help, and she wasn't about to disregard her new friend from any help she could give her. "Let me just change and we'll go."

All the boys nodded their head, relieved she was no longer hiding underneath her covers. They started making their way out of her bedroom to give her the privacy to change. Before Bill left the room, Gwen softly called out to him.

"Bill?"

The Denbrough boy turned to look at her as the others continued making their way downstairs. "Y-Yes?"

Gwen quickly walked towards the boy she considered like second brother and brought him into a heartfelt hug. "Thank you..." She said finally letting tears go down her cheeks.

They were kindred spirits. The both of them were. They each had lost someone they cared for with all their hearts.

So Bill had no problem returning the hug, just as he had done so many times in the past. And just like in the past, he felt his own set of tears go down his face.

They were into their comforting moment that they failed to notice Richie looking at them from the entrance of her bedroom door. Ben, Eddie, and Stan had gone downstairs, but the Tozier boy stayed back wanting to wait for Gwen and Bill. He should have been happy Gwen had gotten out of bed...but he wasn't entirely feeling that way. Mainly because that same jealousy from before lingered. It wasn't him that got his sister feeling better...it had been Bill. And now that he was seeing Gwen and Bill hugging, it had Richie feeling insecure and jealous than ever before.

It was ridiculous, but Richie was getting extremely worried that Gwen was starting to view Bill more as a brother than him...but that couldn't be possible...could it?

With a crestfallen expression, Richie went downstairs. He was no longer able to handle watching the brother and sister like moment Gwen and Bill were having with each other.

It hurt too much to watch.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:**_ _Okay...I know I should be studying, but as it turns out my Philosophy teacher gave us Monday off to study for the midterm. I also didn't expect to finish this chapter as fast as I did...but who's complaining about that? (: Anyways, this chapter was fun to write. There is more interactions with the Losers' and more Richie and Gwen scenes. Despite the agnst, those two are total sibling goals. Overall there's fluffy friendship moments with all of them together. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _"Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light." — Madeleine L'Engle_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12: Not the only one**_

In record timing, Gwen Tozier was out of her lazy clothes (aka her pajamas) and was ready to go.

The fifteen year old was now dressed in her usual everyday wardrobe. Which consisted of wearing her sneakers, shorts and a band t-shirt (this time the band t-shirt was _Journey_ ), and she had her dark hair tied back in a sloppy pony tail.

Feeling much more energized than an hour ago, the Tozier girl went down the stairs with determined steps. When she reached the last step she saw her brother waiting for her in the living room. The rest of the group wasn't there making a puzzled expression come across her face. She found this to be odd because she assumed after Bill had left from the heartfelt moment they had in her bedroom, that he and the rest of the boys would have waited. Had they already left without her and Richie?

"Hey." She said catching her brother's attention. "Where's everyone at?"

Seeing her up from bed and looking like her usual self had Richie feeling better too. He managed to give her a small smile. "They're waiting outside for us."

Gwen nodded her head relieved they hadn't left without them. She then titled her head at her brother. "And you didn't want to go outside and wait with them?" She asked him.

"No..." Richie replied shaking his head. "I, uh, wanted to wait for you inside."

Gwen could hear the brotherly love in his tone of voice. The same tone he had been using during her down fall the last week. She suddenly began to feel terrible as realization hit her hard. Richie had been nothing but kind and caring towards her and yet she had been distancing herself from him... _again_. Just like how she had done when Chase had died. God, what kind of older sister was she? She wanted to straight up and apologize to him (like any normal human being would do), but of course her mouth got the better of her and she ended up saying something entirely different.

"So...I know you took my diary." Gwen said surprising herself. Although that had not been what she originally wanted to tell him, she decided to go along with it. She didn't want to panic with trying to find an excuse as to why she had said that. Besides, this wasn't the first time she noticed her diary was missing because of her brother. It was just the first time she's ever called him out on it. Anyways...maybe starting things off with this random comment would be a good thing. It certainly somewhat lighten the mood a bit. A smile was daring to escape her, but she kept it at bay.

Behind his magnifying glasses, Richie's eyes widen even more. "Oh shit." He became a blubbering mess. "It's just that you weren't talking to me and I wanted to know what was going on with you." He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad."

Gwen started to hate herself even more from hearing how concerned her brother was for her well-being. God, she had been so awful to him. "I'm not mad at you." She gently reassured her brother as she started walking towards him.

"You're not?" Richie questioned his facial features twisted in puzzlement.

"How could I? I haven't written in that thing in _months_." Gwen said as she now stood in front of her brother with a soft expression.

"Oh...yeah. I noticed that when reading it again." Richie answered without thinking thoroughly. "Oh, double shit..." There was a pause before he noticed how reveling his answer had been. His sister was going _hate_ him now that she knew him reading her diary had happened more than once. He nervously adjusted his glasses. "I mean _— "_

"Still not mad at you." Gwen easily interrupted him.

The Tozier boy blinked rapidly. " _Huh?_ For real?" He asked instantly feeling the worry he had of his sister hating him go away.

Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah, and anyways..." She drawled on finally able to find it within herself to say what she had been wanting to say to him. "I actually want to apologize to you."

This bemused Richie. A frown settled on his prepubescent face. "What? Apologize to me? Why?"

Gwen took a deep breath and then let it out. "Because I've been a total bitch to you."

Richie Tozier was all for cussing. He cussed every damn day of his life. He threw the F bomb here and there, along with other colorful words as well. His older sister cussed too. Maybe not as much as him, but he's heard Gwen say some very power word choices too. He, however, had never heard Gwen call herself a bitch before. He's _never_ called her that either. So to hear Gwen say that to herself made Richie immediately shake his head in protest. She wasn't _that_...she was far from being anything remotely close to that. "What? No _—_ "

"No, Richie, I was." Gwen stopped him with a serious expression. It soften with the next few seconds that passed. "Listen, I know I'm not the worlds greatest older sister." She said feeling extremely bad with herself. "I've been real shitty to you lately. And I know I don't say this often because I'm not one for Hallmark family card moments and I know you aren't either, but you know I love you, right?" Gwen stated as she stared softly at her brother. As she did this she saw how his eyes behind his glasses were becoming shiny. Seeing him look so vulnerable as she felt made tears start to form in her eyes too. "Just because I don't say it out-loud every damn day doesn't mean it's not true." Her voice wavered a bit as she continued speaking out her emotional thoughts. "You're my little brother. I have to be there for you just like you've been there for me."

Richie blinked back tears. He knew how much his sister was going through right now in her life. With the losses she's had, her ADHD and now her depression...but hearing her apologize to him and actually saying that she _loved_ him made Richie want to cry his eyes out. The Tozier boy was never one for serious vulnerable moments...well only if Gwen was there with him. Other than her, Richie was never this solemn, not even with their parents. His mother and father hardly every said they loved him. And like Gwen had said to him, she never said it out-loud either, but unlike with his parents, Richie knew she cared for him. So to hear her say she loved him now, affected Richie emotionally. He put away his laid-back persona and instead easily fell into a vulnerable state.

"I know and I love you too, Gwen...but..." A few tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can handle mom and dad being distant, but not you. Please, not you." Richie sounded as wounded as he appeared, and that made Gwen's heart ache more for her little brother. His eyes (the ones that were similar to her's) filled with sadness. "I know you haven't been feeling well, but I need you. I need my sister."

Not wasting another second, Gwen brought her younger brother into a hug. Richie wasn't much for hugging other people. The only person he'd hug with no reluctance was his sister. The Tozier girl felt him put his head on one of her shoulders as he returned the hug. "I'm sorry, Richie." She said as she felt her own tears go down her face again. She cursed that damn clown or whatever that thing was for making her fall back into her depression and for making her distant herself from her brother again. "I'm _so_ sorry. I _promise_ I won't distant myself from you anymore. I won't let this _sickness_ get between us." She had no idea if the sickness she was referring to was her depression or the clown, whichever though Gwen wasn't going to let herself get dragged down again.

Richie nodded his head against her shoulder before he pulled back from the hug. Gwen saw him lift his glasses and start to wipe away any tears that remained. She wiped her own face only much slower. When they settled down, she decided to break away any emotional tension that was left over from their heartfelt moment. "Now having said all that..." Gwen now gave her younger brother a non-serious look."You really need to be more crafty when taking things that don't belong to you."

Richie released a low scoff. "You need to find better hiding places." He easily retorted back to her.

Both siblings stared at each other before they finally erupted into much needed laughter.

Richie was the first to sober up. "I promise, I'll put it back where I found it."

Glad that things were better between the two of them again, Gwen nodded her head, pleased. "Okay."

"We should head out now. They're still waiting for us." Richie said now making his way towards the front door.

"Wait before we go there's something I need to do." Gwen said with a serious voice.

Richie stopped his walking to turn to look at her, puzzled. "What's that?"

Gwen didn't say anything, just smiled and went towards the kitchen.

"Gwen?" Richie called out. "Look, whatever it is can it wait till later?"

"No can do little brother!" Gwen shouted back from inside the kitchen. "This won't take a minute."

Still beyond bemused, Richie went into the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes when he saw his sister open the fridge. "What are you doing?" His question was answered when he saw her take out the sandwich he had made for her. "I thought you said weren't hungry?" He quizzically asked her.

"Well..." Gwen replied eyeing the sandwich with hunger. What she had been noticing lately was that her antidepressants had not only been taking away her energy, but they had also been taking away her appetite (at least she thought it was her antidepressants _—_ she had no idea something _else_ was taking away her vitality due to her depression fall back). However, now that she was out of bed and feeling like her happy-go lucky self again, she felt her stomach rumble with hunger. "That was before. Now I'm _starving_." And with that said, she stuffed a big piece of sandwich into her mouth.

Richie's eyes widen, both impressed and shocked at his sister for doing this. "Gwen!"

Gwen was too much into the deliciousness of the sandwich to see the expression her brother had on. "Wow, this is really good." She mumbled with a mouth full of food.

Perhaps Richie should have been disgusted, but he was too happy with himself that his sister was enjoying the meal he had made for her. He watched as she put the last piece of sandwich into her mouth before she quickly swallowed that too. She had been right. It didn't even take her a whole minute to finish eating the whole thing. Color him impressed.

Gwen walked over to the sink to put in the plate. She used the napkins that were there to wipe her face clean before turning to face her brother, nonchalant. "Well that was good." She said with a smile on her face. "Thanks for making it."

Still fascinated by what happened, Richie just said the first thing that came to his head. "You're welcome."

"Now come on let's go before they send a search party for us." Gwen joked making her way to the front door again. Richie followed closely behind her. When they went outside they right away saw Bill, Ben, Stan, and Eddie, waiting for them on their bikes.

Stan the first to see them, spoke up. "Is everything okay?" He asked the siblings. His gaze lingered more on Gwen than it did on Richie. The curly haired boy was happy to see her dressed and ready to go. She looked better now...more healthy, if that made sense.

Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah, everything's fine and dandy." She said as she got her bike that was next to Richie's leaning against her front porch.

Bill tilted his head a bit. "W-W-What took you g-g-guys so long?" He asked genuinely puzzled.

Not wanting them to know about the brother and sister moment they had (especially Bill), Richie decided on a second explanation. "Gwen stuffed the sandwich I made her into her mouth. You should have seen her eat that thing. It was awesome!"

"Oh my God." Eddie commented with his mouth wide open. He turned to look at Gwen with wide eyes. "Really?"

Gwen was not all embarrassed for the boys to hear about her unladylike manners. She already felt like one of the boys anyways. So she shrugged her shoulders. "Yup, I hadn't eaten anything and I was hungry."

The act of a girl eating sloppy should have been a down fall for Stan, but it hadn't been. He instead looked on the bright side as he gazed at his crush. "Well, I'm glad you ate something." He softly told her.

Gwen gave him a smile that had his stomach doing cartwheels. Her attention though was soon directed towards Ben. Said boy looked just as impressed as Richie had been. "Wow, you must have been really hungry."

"Not anymore." Gwen easily replied before throwing her brother a grateful smile. "Thanks again, Richie."

The youngest Tozier tried to act nonchalant, but deep down was touched by his sister's thankfulness. _"De nada, señorita."_ He responded to her in a Spanish accent. This made her laugh resulting in Richie breaking into a smile.

"I have _never_ heard of a girl eat that fast before in my life." Eddie said still in awe and shock.

Gwen laughed as she got onto her bike. "Well, now you have."

Richie did the same with his bike. ""You should have seen her, Eds. _Freakin_ ' amazing I tell you."

Eddie huffed at hearing Richie use that nickname on him. "Don't call me that." He childishly complained to his bespectacled friend.

"L-L-Let's go." Bill said before the two of them broke into their usual banter.

"Wait!" Eddie called out making them all stop. The smaller boy looked at Gwen seriously. "You shouldn't ride your bike with a full stomach! My mother even told me doing that isn't good for you! You can get sick and throw up!" Eddie announced. His hypochondriac tendencies were coming out to play.

Gwen threw him a reassuring look. "Relax, I'll be fine."

Eddie sighed, but reluctantly nodded his head. "Okay...just let me know if you start to feel sick. Maybe we could stop by the pharmacy or even my place to get you something."

A small smile appeared on Gwen's face at how worried he was for her. "Will do, Eds!"

Eddie blushed and quickly averted his gaze from the older girl.

"Hey, how come she's allowed to call you that, but I can't?" Richie playfully whined to his smaller friend.

"Because she doesn't annoy me." Eddie simply told him. _And because I like the way it sounds when she says it._

That retort had made the rest of them laugh as they finally started riding their bikes towards Beverly place.

* * *

Eddie's rambling about how she shouldn't have ate that fast and repercussions were still ongoing even as they made their way to Beverly's place. His concern for her had hit a new mark. He was talking so fast about medical nonsense that it was even to beginning to annoy Richie of all people. The smaller boy's babbling finally stopped when they reached the apartment complex where their red haired friend lived at. Which was located on Lower Main Street _—_ the shabby area of Derry.

Beverly, who had been sitting at the top of the outside stairs smoking, put out her cigarette and raced down when she had heard them (or should she say when she heard Eddie) making their way. She stopped running when she got to the place where they had stopped at with their bikes.

"You guys made it." Beverly said feeling a sense of relief now that _all_ her friends were here. _Th_ _ank God._ The red head was especially relieved to see Gwen. She hadn't spoken to her older friend for about a week now _._ "I need to show you guys something."

Ben stared at the red head with absolute concern. He could see how shaken up she was. "What is it?" He timidly asked her.

"More than what we saw at the quarry?" Richie cheekily asked her. He was trying to make the odd tension created because of the anxiousness they were all feeling go away. Unfortunately his joking at the moment wasn't taken well.

Gwen, who was parked next to her brother, threw him a _'now's not the time for joking'_ kind of look. Which was basically a small frown. While the others either ignored him. Except for Eddie who was more vocal with his reply.

"Shut up! Just shut up, Richie!" Eddie vehemently exclaimed. The smaller boy although curious with what Beverly wanted to show them, was more on edge. After his frightening encounter with the Leper and clown on Neibolt street, Eddie didn't know what to think anymore. He was afraid whenever he was by himself because he kept waiting for that _thing_ to pop out at him. Except it hadn't...not since walking by that old house. That however didn't mean he felt safe...on the contrary he felt like he was always being _watched_.

Beverly gave Gwen a small but noticeable thankful expression. "Gwen can come in. No problem there. But, uh..." Her face fell and her voice lowered to a mousy tone when looking at the rest of the group with nervousness. "My dad will kill me if finds out I brought boys into the apartment."

"Then w-we'll l-l-leave a look out." Bill suggested swiftly to her.

Following Bill's idea in whimsical action, Gwen patted one of her brother's shoulders. "I nominate the best look out of all time, Richie."

"What?!" Richie exclaimed, his voice cracking a bit. "That's not fair." He said throwing his sister a look that showed how much he disagreed with her.

Gwen lowered her hand becoming serious. "No, you're right, that's an unfair way to choose." Suddenly she turned frolicsome and touched her nose. "Nose goes!"

Bill and Ben were quick to touch their noses, followed by Stan and Eddie. Richie, however, who had been bewildered by such sudden announcement by his sister, was the last to touch his nose. "What? No! _Shit!_ " He complained realizing how he was now the official look out guy.

Gwen stifled down her laughter as she once again briefly patted one of her brother's shoulder. "It's all on you little brother."

After saying that, they threw their bikes on the ground (except Stan who actually left his standing up) and started following Beverly up the stairs to her apartment.

"Woah, woah, woah! What if her dad comes back!" Richie exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows.

Stan stopped his movements to glance towards him. "Do what you always do _—_ start talking!" He retorted back to him.

Gwen who had stopped next to Stan, smiled at her brother. "Yeah, what he said!"

Richie moved his gaze towards his sister. "Gwen, you traitor! I thought we were in this together!" Richie comically told her, pretending to sound betrayed. Even though he was left behind (again to take watch), he wasn't really mad at her or at any of his friends. Annoyed _yes_ , but not mad. Overall he was just happy that Gwen was being her usual joyful self again.

"I believe in you!" Gwen shouted back to her brother with an amused expression. Both her and Stan then continued going up the stairs, trying their best to hold in their laughter.

Richie rolled his eyes halfheartedly, pouting. There was a pause before he suddenly brighten up as he watched all them go further up the stairs. "Oh, and by the way, my talking is a gift!"

* * *

Any form of lightheartedness the group had vanished when they went inside Beverly's apartment. All of them got an ominous vibe as they slowly walked further into her dark hallway. Down the hallway was a room with the door closed. Whatever was inside there, Gwen knew it wasn't going to be good.

Beverly felt her stomach drop as she pointed to said room to her friends. "In there."

"What is it?" Stan inquired on edge. He unconsciously scooted closer towards Gwen for comfort as they walked. The Tozier girl didn't notice this because she was too focused staring at the closed door.

Beverly steadied her voice. "You'll see." She answered not only to him but for the rest of them as well.

They each were having inner conflicts with each other, but Eddie's concerned thoughts couldn't be contained any longer. The smaller boy took a deep breath trying to stop himself from hyperventilating.

"Are we are going to see your bathroom? I just want all of you guys to know, eighty nine percent of the worst accidents are caused in bathrooms and, I mean, that's where all the bad bacteria and fungi are. It's not really a sanitary place _—"_

Bill slowly opening the door stopped the smaller boy's rambling. Eddie instead started feel queasy. He gagged a bit. "Oh, I knew it." He said as he held in the vomit he wanted to let out.

 _"Holy moly macaroni."_ Gwen uttered, mouth gaping at what she was seeing with her _own_ eyes. It looked like a freakin' blood bomb had gone off. There was blood _everywhere_ , all over the sink, mirror, floor, bathtub, and even the ceiling. How in the world did this happen?

Their shocked reactions had Beverly feeling more sane with herself. "You can see it?" She asked still wanting confirmation from them. She needed to know she hadn't gone crazy...cause she sure felt like she had.

Stan looked at the blood covered bathroom with trepidation. "What happened in here?"

Beverly nervously twirled her fingers together. "When my dad didn't see it, I thought I might be crazy."

Ben shook his head, assuring his red haired crush. "Well, if you're crazy then we're all crazy."

"Yeah and trust me Bev, you're _far_ from crazy." Gwen earnestly added to her friend's sanity.

Bill spoke up, voice stuttering but resolute. "We c-c-can't leave it like this."

"We're not." Gwen answered stepping into the bloody bathroom. Once in there she turned to look at the rest of her friends with a determined expression. "Bev, bring as much cleaning supplies you can find. Paper towels, napkins, sponges, gloves, trash-bags and a mop. Anything will do. We're gonna clean until this place is spotless from top to bottom. Hopefully we can finish before your dad arrives."

Beverly felt tears wanting to escape, but she held them in. She instead gave Gwen and the rest of her friends an expression that showed how grateful she was for them. "Thanks you guys."

"There's no need to thank us, that's what friends are for." Gwen assured her. She paused and then her face scrunched up in after thought. "Well, I doubt other friends have had to clean their friends blood covered bathroom, but you get what I mean." She said shrugging her shoulders. "You called for help and here we are."

Beverly gave all of them one last grateful look before she ran off to find clean supplies for all of them to use. When she left the rest of the boys walked into the bathroom. Bill and Ben were keeping their composure, but it was Eddie and Stan who were still outwardly freaking out. Although Eddie was more disgusted with what he was seeing, it was Stan who concerned Gwen more. Mainly because of how he was looking around the bathroom with a high-strung expression. Gwen walked over to where he was near the bathtub.

"You okay?" Gwen concernedly asked the curly haired boy.

"It's so _messy_." Stan said his voice shaking a bit. He _never_ liked messes and this bathroom was a bloody mess. He looked at the bathtub that was tainted with blood and an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. This feeling vanished when he felt someone take a hold of one of his hands. Whoever it was they had soft comforting hands. His gaze went upwards and his heart speed up when he realized it was Gwen who was holding his hand. That bad feeling he had from staring at the bathtub was long forgotten and instead his feelings for his crush replaced them.

"It's okay, Stan. I'm here." Gwen softly reassured him. "We're all here."

Stan gently squeezed her hand in response. Gwen gave him a small smile returning the squeeze back. Neither of them noticed how Bill, Ben, and Eddie were intently looking at them, and neither boy wanted to interrupt the moment they were having with each other.

Unfortunately the moment was soon interrupted thanks to oncoming footsteps.

Gwen was the first to let go and Stan tried his best to look not disappointed as Beverly came back to the bathroom with loads of cleaning supplies.

"I hope this will do." Beverly hopefully said to her friends as she juggled with the stuff she was holding.

Gwen walked forward and took one of the many pair of gloves and yellow sponges Beverly was carrying. She then turned back to look at her friends, her face set with resolution.

"Alright guys...let's start cleaning."

* * *

 **A/N:** _The next chapter will continue where this chapter left off and it also will have the epic rock war between the Losers' Club and the Bowers' Gang. Not to mention Mike will finally come into the story. :D So look forward to that!_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Ladies and Gentlemen here's the chapter we have all been waiting for...the rock war scene. Which means our precious boy Mike is officially apart of the story and the Losers' Club is finally complete! Yay! xD Enjoy!_

 _ **P.S.** Random little detail but I wrote this chapter while listening to the 1999 **The Mummy** movie soundtrack. I don't know why, I just did. Haha. xD Also sorry for any typos, I'm writing this at two o'clock in the morning. I'll try to fix any mistakes later. _

_**P.S.S** A lot of F Bombs are said in this chapter. __Oops_ _. LOL._

* * *

" _Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."_ _― Maya Angelou_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13: The epic rock war that united them all**_

Gwen was glad she wasn't squeamish at the sight of blood. That would have been horrible if she were since all of Beverly's bathroom was covered with blood. That didn't mean she was one hundred percent unaffected. The sight of blood still gave her major goosebumps, but she was well composed to not lose herself into fear.

Whenever it felt like it was too much, all Gwen would do was touch her Turtle necklace and she would become okay again. She figured this was now a odd little ritual for her to do whenever she was scared or overwhelmed, so she didn't look into it.

The six of them worked together in cleaning up the bathroom. Each of them had different ways of cleaning. Stan's in particular stood out to her the most. Being the clean perfectionist that he was, Stan had his own unique way of getting things done. It was one others (not his friends) might have found odd, but Gwen found his cleaning skills to be adorable and quite orderly.

Gwen was soon following the way he cleaned. When Stan took notice to this his eyes widen and Gwen saw how his cheeks became red. She immediately thought he was annoyed with her, so she quickly apologized and moved on with her cleaning. Unknown to her Stan wasn't blushing because he was annoyed, but because he was thrown back that she had been coping his exact way of cleaning. It made a butterflies appear in stomach at the thought of Gwen doing something the same as him. Even if it was something simple as cleaning.

Stan tried working up the courage to say something to her, but he couldn't.

Moving on, the most difficult part for Gwen was cleaning the blood from the ceiling. That was not a fun thing to do, but Gwen self-assigned such task for herself. It was a struggle, but thanks to the help of the small ladder Beverly was able to find in her apartment, the Tozier girl was able to clean the whole ceiling. She thanked God (or whoever was out there in the universe who was responsible for the rarity of luck) for not getting any blood on her or the others.

After she was done cleaning, Gwen walked to the front of the door. Just as she was starting to take out the garbage bags that were filled with blood covered towels and napkins, Stan and Eddie came from behind her.

"We got it, Gwen." Stan said taking one of the bags from her. The other was left for Eddie to take.

Gwen offered both boys a smile. "Thanks guys." She then went back further into the apartment, to go see if there was anymore needed help. As she walked away, Stan took this time to admire her again. Within a few seconds of doing so he felt Eddie's stare on him.

"What?" Stan inquired going back to his shy yet defense phase.

Eddie knew bringing up Stan's unrequited crush on Gwen would only bother and embarrass the curly haired boy, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing..." He said trying to sound nonchalant.

Now Eddie liked Gwen too (he even had a small crush), but he didn't want to invest his time on those romantic feelings for her. It was Stan who really liked the Tozier girl. The Kaspbrak boy liked her too, but if anything his crush on Gwen was more because he admired and looked up to her. He liked how she didn't treat him like he was made out of glass. She wasn't at all smothering like his mother was. Gwen was like a breath of fresh air. So naturally he found himself liking her. His crush on her though wasn't as serious as the adoration Stan had for her. And that didn't bother Eddie at all. His friend's happiness meant a lot to him. Besides, Eddie had to admit seeing Stan and Gwen together would have been nice a thing. It gave him a warm feeling inside. Now the question was would Gwen ever feel the same way about Stan?

Eddie pondered...

That indeed was the million dollar question.

With a thoughtful look, Eddie grabbed the other garbage bag and continued making his way outside. Leaving a slightly confused Stan behind. The curly haired boy was quick to get over whatever bemusement his small friend had put him in. Before he started walking again, he glanced over his shoulder one last time to look where Gwen had gone off to. He felt his heart up against his chest as he did this. Turning forward again, he started making his way outside as well.

Meanwhile, Gwen who was turning the corner to where the bathroom was at froze. There standing with a sad look on his face was Ben. She walked up to him with a concerned expression. "Ben, is everything alright?" She gently asked him.

Ben met her gaze, and was quick to wipe any downheartedness he had on his face and eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

Gwen however wasn't convinced. "You sure about that?"

Ben's faux composure faltered. "Uh...no. But I'll be fine. I always am." _I have to be._ Ben thought to himself. He couldn't let seeing Beverly and Bill bonding get to him. Bill was his friend. Ben liked Beverly, but it was obvious that the lovely red head liked Bill. So who was he to get in way? His feelings for Beverly were strong (more than Bill's _―_ in his opinion anyways), but Ben wouldn't put any of their friendships in jeopardy. So he'd stand back...it was what he was good at doing anyways. His eyes took in how soft and caring Gwen was being with him. All of a sudden all the guilt he had before came back with a vengeance. Ben needed to make things right with her.

Ben gave the older girl an apologetic expression. "Gwen, I'm really sorry."

Gwen let out a sigh, already knowing where this conversation was heading. "You don't have to apologize, Ben."

"But _―"_

"Really you don't." Gwen said raising a hand before putting it back down. "I'm gonna be real with you." She announced, opening up emotionally to him. Gwen felt comfortable enough to do so. "I have depression. It _sucks_ and I hate it, but I have it." She told him, surprised by how steady her voice was from speaking of such a sensitive topic for her. "I also have fall backs every now and again. So, I was bound to have another one of my episodes sooner or later."

"How do you manage through?" Ben asked, fully curious. He's never met anyone (well never anyone whose admitted it out-loud) whose dealt with depression.

Gwen scoffed lightly. "Pills...lots and _lots_ of pills." She turned somber. "My mom calls them my happy pills. I don't like taking them. They're not like my ADHD pills. I don't mind taking those. But the antidepressants I take make me feel worse and low with energy. I want to stop taking them completely, but then I get yelled at." Suddenly she began laughing bitterly. "Which is kind of funny. I mean, they're supposed to be making me feel better...yet they're doing the opposite." She stopped laughing and then looked at him, earnestly. "To tell you the truth, I feel better when I'm around you guys. It's the best I've ever felt since..." _All that unfortunate crap happened._ She cleared her throat and lowered her eyes down a bit. "Well, you know."

Gwen's emotional confession made Ben feel a variety of things. The most being sympathy. "I am sorry." He said once again. He was just unable to not stop apologizing to her.

He really was a compassionate boy, wasn't he? Gwen smiled a real genuine smile at him. "The fact that you're still apologizing to me means that you actually care."

Ben returned the smile to her before it fell. "I gave her the poem." He found himself admitting to Gwen. He figured since she shared something personal about herself, Ben could open up more to her. That was what friends did. "But I didn't write my name on it." He confessed to her, sounding bashful.

Gwen felt happy that he had followed her advice and gave Beverly the poem he wrote for her. Even if he didn't write his name. That didn't automatically mean it was over. "It's not too late, you can still tell her it was you." She assured him.

Ben lowered his eyes, dejected. "No...she thinks it was Bill. She _wants_ it to be Bill."

 _Why would she think it was Bill? That doesn't make―Oh!_

A light bulb went off Gwen's head and she felt _so_ stupid for not noticing this sooner. Now she understood why Ben looked so crestfallen.

 _Ben liked Beverly...but Beverly liked Bill...but did Bill like Beverly? Probably._

Oh crap. Gwen looked at Ben with a soft look. She wished that was able to comfort him with soothing words about how Beverly liked him more than Bill, but she couldn't. That would have been a rude and false thing to say. Gwen viewed Bill as a brother and she wished him the best, and if that meant Beverly being with him made him happy...then so be it. The problem was that Ben also liked Beverly...but it was now clear to Gwen that all of Beverly's affection were leaning towards Bill at the moment. There were no real comforting words she could say to Ben. Except for...

"Maybe you'll get the courage to tell her another time. Remember in the end the underdog always wins." Gwen said in hopes that kindly advice would suffice for now.

Ben knew this would was tricky conversation for her to handle considering her close relationship with Bill. He was thankful that she was at least trying to make him feel better. It proved to him more how much of a real friend she was to him. Curiosity suddenly filled his eyes as he looked at her. "What would you do?" He asked her.

Gwen rose her eyebrows. "Me?" She asked pointing to herself. "Well..." She said trying to come up with a reply...she couldn't. "I'm not so sure. I mean, I've never had a secret admirer before. I doubt anyone's ever had a crush on me." She said that because she never found out Chase's real feelings for her...she had a hunch he liked her, but without his verbal confession, Gwen was left in whirl of uncertainty.

"That's not true." Ben blurted without thinking. _Crap_.

Gwen's expression became puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Ben inwardly panicked. Now he didn't have confirmation, but he knew (thanks to that mild display of affection in the bathroom) that Stan had feelings for Gwen. It was pretty obvious and he could tell everyone else knew about Stan's feelings _―_ well everyone except for Gwen. Stan hadn't reveled his feelings for her. Therefore, Ben himself didn't want to be the one to tell Gwen about the curly haired boy's crush. In order to restore things in order, he decided for a general approach. "You're nice and pretty." He said in vague way, not at all giving away too much information. "I'm sure there's someone out there who has a crush on you."

Gwen was able to see underneath his compliments. Her bemused expression became lighthearted. "Ben Hanscom, are you trying to tell me you know someone who's got a crush on me?" She asked amusingly, not at all serious. She took the non-serious route because she couldn't fathom the thought of someone liking her, nor she did want someone to like her. At least that's what she would tell herself. It was hard for her to except the possibility of someone truly liking her because the only person she's ever wanted to like her was Chase. She didn't want to get her high hopes up on a new crush. She also didn't want to push away the feelings she still had for Chase for someone else...she wasn't ready to move on.

Having no idea with what to say to this, Ben blinked a few times. "Well... _"_

"Hey, is there anything else that needs to be taken out?" Stan's voice filled the air. Both Gwen and Ben saw that he was standing a few feet away from them. When looking at him, Ben was able to tell his curly haired friend hadn't heard a word of the previous conversation Gwen and him were having. Thank God. He was able to relax. Ben shook his head, resulting in Gwen responding.

"No, I think that was it. Bill and Beverly will take the rest out." The Tozier girl gazed back and fourth at both boys, completely throwing aside the topic of conversation she was having with Ben. A playful smile broke out onto her face. "Let's go save Eddie from Richie. My brother is probably annoying the hell out of him now." She said this not in a insulting way, but more in a buoyant sister like way towards her brother.

They soon left the Marsh's apartment after that to wait with Eddie and Richie outside. Once they were out in the open the topic of crushes was no longer brought up by either Ben or Gwen. Although Ben was still inwardly thinking about it, Gwen had long past it.

* * *

It wasn't long until Beverly and Bill had joined the rest of them. The group of friends were now walking alongside the rode, pushing their bikes with them. Except for Richie who was actually on his bike with semi-annoyed expression set on his face.

"No, really, I love being your guys' personal doorman." Richie sarcastically commented as he kept circling his bike around his older sister and friends. "Could you idiots have taken any longer?"

Gwen rolled her eyes at her younger brother. "Beep beep, Richie."

"Shut up, Richie." Eddie said to his bespectacled friend, huffing out air.

Stan was quick to join his crush and his hypochondriac smaller friend. "Yeah, shut up, Richie!"

"Oh, okay." Richie responded taking in their jeering. "Trash the Trashmouth, I get it." He continued his frivolous behavior. "Hey, at least I wasn't the one scrubbing the bathroom floor and imagining it went all Eddie's mom's vagina on Halloween."

Eddie threw him a hard stare while Gwen scrunched up her face. "Ew, Richie. I did not need to hear that."

Richie released a laugh. "Got a reaction out of you though."

Before she was able to retort something back to him, starting a brother sister banter between them, Bill spoke up.

"She d-d-didn't imagine it." Bill said coming to a stop in the middle of the road, as he did this so did the rest of them. He took a deep breath finding his inner courage to finally tell his friends what had been eating him up inside."I-I-I saw something.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked now feeling anxious.

"Did you see blood too?" Stan questioned, distressed. Other than in Beverly's bathroom, he himself didn't see blood. No, what he saw was the lady with the deformed face from that awful painting in his father's study. _Judith_. That painting gave him _nightmares_ and they've only increased after he actually saw the lady from the painting face to face.

Bill shook his head. "Not blood. I-I saw G-G-Georgie." He explained making all of them stare at him with unease and wide eyes.

Gwen took in and let out a shaky breath. "You saw Georgie?"

"It s-s-seemed so real." Bill said with heavy distraught emotion. "I mean, it seemed like him, b-but there was this _—"_

"Clown." Eddie interrupted his face turning pale. He gulped nervously as he looked around at his friends. "Yeah, I saw him too."

Everyone (minus Richie) looked spooked, but relieved at the same time. Ben had nodded his head before staring down towards the ground. The awful memory of that headless boy came to mind as did the clown he had seen at the library. Stan who had been just as freaked out had been better at hiding his need to have a full panic attack. He instead kept calm by silently naming different types of birds, as he too nodded his head to Bill. Although Gwen hadn't nodded her head to Bill the wide eyed expression she had was enough for the Denbrough boy and for the others to know she saw _something_ too.

Now unlike the others, Richie Tozier was not in the loop with them. Did that mean he didn't believe what they were saying? Of course he believed them. He knew there was something wrong with the town of Derry. Ben's research proved that his home town was not all sunshine and smiles as the adults made it out to be. However, Richie had no freakin' idea what his friends were talking about. He hadn't seen no clown, and that both bewildered and frustrated him. Bewildered because for once he was not a part of something with his friends. And he felt frustrated because his non-experience with this clown meant he couldn't help his sister. Well he could help her, but he just wouldn't be able to fully empathize with her because he hadn't gone through what his friends had gone through yet. Not that he wanted to see the clown or anything...he _hated_ clowns. They scared the living shit out of him. Gwen knew this. Perhaps that's why she didn't tell him of what she saw. He knew whatever this thing was it affected his friends and older sister...and he did not like that at all. Whatever Gwen had seen it had driven her back to her depression. And despite his fear towards clowns, Richie wanted to confront this clown and beat the crap out of it for traumatizing his sister. Even now she looked pretty affected. _Just what exactly had she seen?_

"Gwen?" Richie attentively asked her.

Gwen closed her eyes. "I saw it." She finally admitted out-loud to her brother and to the rest of her friends. Now that she told them the truth she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She breathed in and out. _I'm not crazy_. _I'm not the only one._ Once she got a hold of herself, she opened her eyes again. "Oh God, you guys. I saw the clown too." She let out a sigh as she tighten the hold on her bike handles."You have no freakin' idea how relieved I am that I'm not the only one."

"Was the clown the only thing you saw?" Eddie found himself asking her. He had seen the Leper and the clown. So did she see something else other than the clown? He hoped not that would only mean more apprehension on her end.

"No." Gwen said shaking her head. She buried down the distress that wanted to escape her. She didn't want to think about her nightmares. The awful looking _Tarman_ , the decomposed version of Patrick touching her legs, or that damn clown, but she had to be honest with her friends. "I...I saw _other_ things too."

Everyone could see how disturbed Gwen looked at just mentioning the other things she saw. Clearly there was more to tell with her side of the story. However, none of them were going to push her for the details. Richie especially. He wanted to help his sister but he knew forcing her to talk would end badly and would most likely cause Gwen more emotional pain. So he'd be the patient brother and wait until she was ready to tell him and the others the rest of her encounter. That didn't stop him with trying to help in his own way in the meantime. Despite the eerie mood that had fallen around them, Richie still found a way to break it.

"Wait, can only virgins see this stuff? Is that why I have not seen this shit?" He asked hoping this would at least make one of them crack a smile.

No one laughed at his comment. For a few seconds there he did see how Gwen's lips go upwards, as if wanting to smile. She soon reverted back to looking serious. "Be glad you haven't seen anything at all, Richie." She told her brother. The last thing she wanted was for him to experience any type of creepy shit like the rest of them had. All of a sudden she started to hear loud shouting. Her features mixed with puzzlement and concentration. "Do you guys hear that?" She asked her friends.

Everyone turned to where those loud noises were coming from, and they soon came to see a very familiar blue _Trans Am_ parked on the side of the rode. Eddie eyes widen in realization. "Oh shit that's Belch Huggins car." He steadied his breathing, not wanting to have a asthma attack right now of all times. "We should probably get out of here."

Bill's eyes noticed a item on the ground next to said car. "Wait, isn't t-t-that the home-schooled kid's bike?" He asked pointing to it.

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, that's Mike's bike." He said being one of the few to actually know the boy's name. His nerves grew at what that meant. Henry Bowers and his goons were probably doing God knows what to him.

Beverly stepped forward. She right away looked at Gwen, knowing the older girl would stand by with what she was going to say next. "We have to help him." She ardently declared.

"We should?" Richie asked, unsure. He didn't mean to sound like a jerk, but he just didn't want to deal with Henry's crap right now. Not to mention he also didn't want Gwen anywhere near that mullet wearing asshole.

Beverly gave the youngest Tozier a look of disbelief. "Yes." She replied to him before once again looking at Gwen for support.

A fierce protective like expression appeared on Gwen's face. Her dark eyes were set with determination. She gave Beverly a nod. "There's no way I'm letting that _fucktard_ hurt another kid. Especially not _him_. Not on my watch." After she said that she dropped her bike to the ground and everyone else followed her actions. They all then started running towards the direction of said noises.

Gwen, however, noticed how Stan was still lingering back because he was trying to make his bike stand up. Unlike at Beverly apartment, he was having trouble letting it stand. At other times the Tozier girl would have found this to be adorable, but right now he had to hurry things up.

"Stanley!" She called out using his full name.

Stan had no idea why, but hearing her say his full name finally got him to put his bike in a standing position. He looked her way and saw how she was holding out a hand for him to take. His heart sped up at such a wonderful site before him. Without any hesitation he ran towards her and took a hold of her hand with his own.

The feeling of her hand with his again made his heart go faster with excitement and ardor. Or perhaps that was his adrenaline because of the current running they were doing. Stan liked to think otherwise. Whatever the reason this time, Stan just made sure to bask Gwen's touch as they ran off together to help Mike.

* * *

At the young age of thirteen, Mike Hanlon already had a work schedule to follow.

On the days he wasn't doing his home-school studies, he would wake up early (around five or six in the morning), help his grandfather Leroy around the farm (or at least try _―_ he had yet to do the killing sheep part with the farm duties), and then deliver whatever meat they had for that day to the local butcher shop located in town.

During this routine he would do his best to avoid Henry Bowers and his friends. The older male teens that liked to severely bully him. On some days he got lucky and he wouldn't catch a single glimpse of them. However, on other days Mike wasn't so lucky.

Unfortunately today was one of those days.

Just as Mike thought he was free from them, Henry and his friends got the upper hand by stopping him due to the car they were driving in. Mike had decided to ditch his bike at the last second and ran into the woods in hopes of losing them that way. The rowdy group though didn't stop their malicious intents, and proceed to run after him. Now Mike was a fast runner, but all that bike pedaling got him tired, so it wasn't long until Henry caught up with him and harshly threw him to the dirt covered ground.

Now here he was having his face smashed into one of the meats he was supposed to deliver. Henry's foot kept pressing his face down while he kept yelling racial slurs at him, as his other two friends watched. Mike fought to get up but struggled immensely. The pain he was feeling from the face pressing was soon forgotten thanks to what his eyes caught sight of.

There in the open high covered grassy field was a clown...the same clown he had seen at the butchers shop before he had almost gotten run over by Henry and his friends. However, this time the clown had blood all over his smiling face...and he was waving a severed arm. Maybe it was his fight or flight mode from seeing this disturbing sight but Mike finally got the strength to fight against Henry's hold. Unfortunately his momentary escape was ruined when Belch kicked him in the face, resulting in Mike falling onto the ground again.

Henry was quick to get on top of him. Mike once again started fighting against his hold. The Bowers boy was quick to pin his wrist down with one hand, and used his other hand to grab a rock from the ground. Mike's face filled with fear only this time it wasn't because of the clown. No, the crazed eye look Henry had was enough for him to know he was going to smash his head any second now.

From the sidelines, Victor and Belch were full on uncomfortable now. Victor had been from the beginning. But his uncomfortable feeling was mistaken with annoyance at first. He didn't want to waste his time chasing after Mike. They've done that loads of times, but Henry made it clear of his intent of wanting to catch him. So him and Belch followed...Victor more reluctant to do so. At first it hadn't been so bad. They yelled harsh things at him (Henry's comments were the racist ones) and pushed him around. It was the usual stuff. That all changed though when Henry started to _really_ push Mike around. His taunts became worse and his eyes got this craze look to them. It frankly freaked Victor out and he knew Belch wasn't feeling to good with Henry's behavior either.

Except now seeing Henry raise a rock to Mike's head, had Victor's alarms going off in his head. This was going too far. This was too much. "Henry..." Victor tried getting his attention. All his mind kept saying was this had to stop...and it had to stop _now_. He shouted more forceful this time."Henry! St _―_ "

A rock suddenly hit Henry on the side of his forehead, throwing him off Mike.

Momentarily dazed by such an unexpected throw, Henry was helped back up by Belch. They followed Victor's gaze to see the culprit who had thrown the rock was. The three older boys caught sight of Beverly Marsh standing there looking quite proudly with herself. To their surprise she was soon accompanied by six other people. One of them being Gwen, and Victor was quick to notice how she had been holding the Jewish boy, Stanley Uris' hand before she had let go of it when they had stopped running to stand next to Beverly. A feeling of jealousy grew in his stomach from seeing such display of affection.

"Nice throw." Stan complimented the red head.

"Thanks." Beverly shrugged her shoulders and threw a small smile at the oldest Tozier sibling who was next to her. "Gwen taught me."

"And that throw was a ten out of ten." Gwen replied proudly, paying her share fair of compliments to her red haired friend. The sound of someone coming their way had Gwen go on defense. However those defense mechanisms faltered when she saw it was just Mike trying to make his way towards them. Gwen was quick to walk to where he was. "Take my hand." She kindly said as she offered one of her hands to him.

Mike normally wasn't the trusting type. Except something within him said that he could trust her. This girl with dark warm eyes...the same girl he remembered running into his bike with. There was a caring vibe coming off of her...it was almost motherly. Mike had no problem accepting her hand.

Gwen was fast yet gentle to pull him up to his feet. She then walked him over to where the rest of her friends were at. She once again took her place besides Beverly and Stan.

"You Losers are trying too hard. She'll do you." Henry said making his presence more well known. He flashed Beverly a grin that was filled with ridicule making her grimace. "You just gotta ask nicely. Like I did." He proceeded to grab onto his crotch over his pants.

Angry for his treatment towards Beverly, and for his _disgusting_ behavior, Gwen gave him a glare. _"_ Fuck you, Bowers!" She shouted, letting her pent up rage towards the bully come out to the open.

Henry sneered at her. "It's about time you came to your senses. Just name the time and place, _sweetheart_."

Gwen made a face full of repulse at the term sweetheart.

"Go jizz in a sock, dipshit!" Richie yelled in his sister's defense. His fists were clenching, but he remained in his spot. Behind Richie's glasses, his eyes were filled with complete hatred for the Bowers boy. "It's the only action you'll ever get!" He added in hopes that Henry would lose his annoying grin and would cause him aggravation instead.

For a brief moment there it looked like Richie's words of insult had gotten to Henry. That thought was soon thrown out the window when Henry broke out into a round of laughter.

"Please, your sister would do me if you all weren't here with her. You _know_ she would." Henry said as he shamefully looked Gwen up and down. From behind him. Victor's eyes clouded with anger as Henry continued talking. "Too bad Hockstetter isn't here. We all know how much he _really_ wanted to get into your pants." He let out a dark chuckle. "Almost as much as I do...you have no idea what you're missing out on. You just need to be felt up real _good_. Maybe then you wouldn't be such a dumb _dyke_."

Richie's anger was over the roof and Victor just had enough of Henry, but before either of them could say anything back to the Bowers boy, someone else spoke up.

 _"Shut the hell up!"_ Stan shouted with so much fury that it startled his friends―even Henry looked shocked. From beside the curly haired boy, Gwen was now staring at him with an awed impressed look. The Tozier girl felt the beginnings of a blush surface to her cheeks. Never had any of them heard the orderly well behaved bird loving boy shout so fiercely before. His face was red with anger and his narrowed eyes focused onto Henry. "You don't talk to her like that!"

Despite his shock towards the Jew's outburst, Henry was quick to recover. "What's this?" He questioned condescendingly. "Got yourself a little boyfriend already, Gwen? Hell, maybe you are _easy_ like Marsh."

 _Enough was enough._ Not only had Henry insulted his friend but he once again insulted the girl that Ben loved. No one got to talk so low about Beverly. Grabbing a rock from the ground, Ben decided to take charge. He let out a yell and with all the courage he had bottled up, Ben threw the rock at Henry.

"What the fuck?!" Henry exclaimed staggering back a bit. The rock had barely grazed his head enough to leave him extremely bewildered by Ben's actions. He didn't actually think Ben would have the balls to stand up to him. He thought the same with Four-Eyes and that curly haired Jew...but apparently he was wrong.

Beverly was the first to follow behind Ben's actions and started throwing rocks towards the bullies direction. The other soon got a hold of rocks from the ground to guard themselves from a fight they all knew was about to take place with Henry and his so called buddies.

"Rock war!" Richie yelled ready to start the brawl. As soon as he announced this he was hit in the face with a oncoming rock thrown by Henry.

"Oh _fuck_ no!" Gwen shouted with rage. Protectiveness for her brother made Gwen throw a rock in Henry's direction. It hit him on the head, right across from where Beverly had first hit him. The powerful impact made him yell. Despite the pain he was feeling he didn't stand down and he continued his own throwing.

Belch had joined the fight to stand by Henry, but Victor only joined in order to shield himself from the on going throws he was receiving from the little twerps. He was well aware how Gwen wasn't throwing rocks his way. No...all her throws were going directly towards Henry. As he was retaliating back, Victor was left impressed by her throwing skills. He knew she was a good thrower based from the amount of times he's watched her play softball. To see her stand up to Henry was quite eye opening for Victor. The ponytail she had came loose, resulting in her hair going all over the place. That didn't stop her throws. She still kept going...and Victor had never seen her look so wild before. It was exhilarating.

Henry and Belch on the other hand were doing their best to avoid Gwen's line of fire. Henry especially because he knew how much of a threat she was when it came to throwing. She was on the girls softball team, so he knew the _bitch_ had mad impressive throwing skills. He focused at hitting at the other losers, figuring they would be easy targets...that soon proved to be wrong.

"Fuck you fuckers!" Richie yelled now standing up again. He had thrown a rock hitting Henry on his left knee. As he bent down, the rock Stan threw at that very second impacted with Henry's right shoulder. Beverly's, Ben's and Bill's, rocks hit him all over different parts of his body. Another rock thrown by Gwen hit him near the groin. This was the hit that had Henry groaning in loud anguish.

As this happened one of the rocks Belch threw had almost hit Gwen on the head. That thought of Gwen almost getting hurt had Eddie seeing red. He jumped into the water below him and threw the rock he had with such new found force. "Get the fuck out of here!" He yelled in fury. The rock he had thrown hit Belch right on the head, making the burly sized teen stagger back in pain.

His actions were running all over the place, and just as Victor was about to hit Eddie with a rock, Gwen quickly acted like a shield. As the rock fighting continued behind her, she found herself having a silent private conversation with Victor.

Gwen mouthed the word _GO_ to him, inwardly _hoping_ he would follow the demand and just leave. She didn't want to hurt him, but she knew that if he came anymore closer to her younger brother and friends she'd throw the rock at him. There'd be some hesitation, but Gwen would do whatever she had to do to protect them. She would do _anything_ to protect the people she cared for the most. This was the only warning she was going to to give the sleek white-blonde haired boy.

Victor took in her appearance. Besides her facial features being so dead set on wanting him to leave, he couldn't help but admire her. She looked so freakin' _untamed_. So beautiful in a unruly type of way. Her dark hair was a mess from her constant throwing and her face was red with adrenaline. He could see her breathing in and out waiting what his next actions would be. Would he stay and continue in the rock throwing, or take her word and leave?

Needless to say that decision wasn't hard to make.

After admiring her for one last time, Victor dropped the rock he was holding and made a break for it in the direction of Belch's car.

Belch saw this and decided to ditch the fuck out as well. "Fuck you, Losers!" He shouted as he ran behind Victor.

That just left Henry. Who was now on the ground, deeply physically wounded as much as his ego was. None of them felt any sort of sympathy for him. This was justice that was long over due in their eyes.

As they each took a moment to collect themselves, Gwen found herself walking over to where Henry was laying on the ground. She stopped once she reached him and gazed down at his beat up form with aversion. She wanted to kick him between the legs, hurting his sorry excuse for a member, but she restrained herself from doing so. She was going to be the better person. "I'm not one to kick a person when they're already laying on the ground, and pathetically might I add, so I'm gonna give you a warning, fucktard." The most deadliest look she's ever had in her fifteen years of life crossed her face as she glared down at him. "If you _ever_ mess with my brother and friends again, I'll fucking _end_ you." She didn't wait to hear a response from him. After she said this, Gwen walked back to where her friends were at. She saw how they were helping Mike walk, leading him away from Henry Bowers.

Gwen now stood next to her brother, and Richie chose that moment to send a glare over to Henry. "Go blow your dad, you mullet wearing asshole!" He then flipped him off by using not one, but both of his middle fingers. Gwen happily enjoyed in and flipped Henry off too before she and Richie walked away to join their friends.

They left behind a very wounded and a even more _vengeful_ Henry Bowers.

* * *

As the group of eight walked underneath the kissing bridge, a sense of unity and fulfillment surged through them. They were quiet, basking in their win but that silence was soon interrupted.

Mike glanced at all of them looking thankful yet culpable."Thanks guys, but you shouldn't have done that."

"Oh, Bowers? He's always after us." Eddie answered trying to throw away any guilt Mike must have been feeling.

"I guess that's one t-t-thing we all have in common." Bill stuttered out briefly glancing back to offer Mike a cordial smile.

It was a smile that had Mike slowly returning one back.

"Yeah, home-school, welcome to the Losers' Club!" Richie jokingly said but everyone could tell he was really being earnest.

Gwen made a thoughtful face before smiling. "The Losers' Club? Huh, I like the sound of that." She playfully pushed her brother resulting in him doing the same action to her. He broke out into a smile when she brought him into a side hug. It was rare for her to hug him in person, so Richie was left feeling happy. "How about we all go back to our place and watch a movie?" She asked her friends.

After what they had just gone through a simple movie sounded like heaven. There was a round of "Okays" and "Yeses'" at that prospect. Although Gwen noticed how much more eager Stan was due to his smile and reddened cheeks when he gave her his answer. She figured he must still be full of adrenaline. She sure was.

As that happened, Richie noticed how silent Mike was and frowned. "What about you home-school?"

"Richie, his name is Mike not home-school." Gwen reminded her brother.

Richie leaned into her side hug. "I know that. I just like the way home-school sounds." He said shrugging his shoulders. He looked forward at Mike again. "Anyways, what do you say? You in?"

Mike couldn't help but feel disbelief at the invitation to hang out with them. "Really?" He probably should have gone back home, but the thought of actually hanging out with friends was stopping him from doing so.

Gwen nodded her head. "We wouldn't have asked if we didn't want you there." Her expression then became lighthearted. "We'll even let you pick the movie."

"Just as long as it's _Star Wars._ " Richie jokingly added.

"Richie..." Gwen drawled on.

"Fine it doesn't have to be _Star Wars_." Richie corrected only to mouth the movie title making Mike and the rest of them laugh.

Gwen smiled at Mike. "You pick whichever movie you want, on one condition." Her smile fell a little. "No horror movies."

That certainly wasn't a deal breaker for Mike. "No problem there." He replied finally accepting their invitation to hang out together.

Bill, Ben, Beverly, Eddie, Stan, and even Richie had no problem with that condition either. The last type of movie they wanted to watch was a horror movie.

As they continued in the direction of the Tozier residence, Mike Hanlon felt something he'd never felt before in that moment. He felt accepted, like he finally belonged.

It was a feeling he never wanted to go away.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Yay the group is all together now! The next chapter will be the Fourth of July scene. I'm gonna make the scene longer than it was in the movie. So expect more scenes with the Losers' Club - especially with Stan and Gwen. (: _


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:**_ _Yo! I hope you guys had an awesome Halloween! I sure did, I went trick or treating even though I'm 21 and I have no shame whatsoever. Plus I'm proud of my costume. I was a hippie ***tehe*** Anyways this is more of a filler chapter. However it's in chapter 16 that things really start to move again. So be ready for that because it's gonna include the projector scene! D:_

 _ **P.S.** I do not own any songs mentioned in this chapter. The song **Sweet Child O' Mine** is originally done by the band **Guns 'N Roses,** but the version Gwen sings is more acoustic_ _. It's still a beautiful song especially the beginning and chorus._

 _ **P.S.S.** Sorry for any grammar mistakes. It's two o'clock in the morning right now. I'll try to edit this chapter later. _

* * *

_"_ _Life's an experience, not a destination. All of us have the same destination, but not one of us has an identical experience. You'll find someone who will be there when the fireworks fizzle out and the sky turns black and love you just the same. That's the one to hold onto."_ _― Marilyn Grey, Bloom_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14: Happy fourth of July**_

 ** _A couple weeks later_**

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

" _Yes_."

Gwen huffed, exasperated. She about had it with this damn conversation she was having with her mother. They've been talking about this for almost half an hour now. With her seating on the living room couch and her mother standing over her. "Mom! How many times am I gonna have to say no? I'm _not_ doing it!"

"But I already signed you up, and I told everyone in the committee you were going to be the first one to sing tomorrow." Maggie informed her daughter, panicking a bit. The older woman was beginning to get irritated that her daughter wasn't right away agreeing to singing at the fourth of July festival tomorrow. To her it seemed like such an honor for her daughter to perform. But no, instead Gwen was refusing to do so. Maggie frowned at her daughter. "Why are you being so negative about this?"

Gwen made a pretend thinking face. "Uh, maybe because you wait until now to tell me. The day before." Her tone of voice then took a serious turn. "Not to mention you didn't even ask me if I wanted to sing in the first place."

"That's because I knew you'd refuse." Maggie fired back.

"And yet you still signed me up?" Gwen retorted back to her mother.

Since her daughter wasn't seeing things her way, Maggie decided to take a softer approach. Perhaps if she played the sad " _I'm sorry_ " card, she would get Gwen to agree. Maggie breathed in and out, readying herself for the act she was about to do. "I shouldn't have signed your name without asking you first." She said trying her best to look apologetic. "That was wrong of me to do so. You just have such a nice voice and I thought you would want others to hear it. But if you don't want to sing that's fine." She forced tears to fill her eyes and felt a few go down her cheeks. She purposely let them fall down so Gwen would see. "I'm _sorry_ for causing you such annoyance."

Gwen Tozier never liked seeing her mother cry. Ever since she was little seeing her mother burst into years made her feel weird and bad. Even when she wasn't the reason for mother's crying. Her sadness just always got to the Tozier girl. She'd much rather see a scowl on her mother's face than tears in her eyes. Which is why that made it so much easier for her mother to get her to do what she wanted _―_ especially since Gwen thought she really was crying because of her refusal to sing. She had no idea her mother was just playing her.

"Mom, please don't cry." Gwen begged. Her expression fell, no longer having that irksome look it had a few seconds ago. "It just would have been better if you had asked me first."

At her daughter saying this, Maggie let out another cry. This time she did wipe her cheeks, making a huge show out of it.

Gwen couldn't take it anymore. The awkwardness of the situation and her feeling bad for making her mother cry made her finally cave. "Alright, fine!" She said causing her mother to stop her crying. She lowered her voice once she had her mother's attention. "I'll sing tomorrow."

Despite being happy that she got what she wanted, Maggie remained dismal with her acting. "Really?" She asked, sniffing her nose.

"Yes, just don't cry anymore." Gwen responded with a pleading tone. "It's _weird_..." She commented, murmuring the last part.

Maggie Tozier, however, didn't hear what her daughter said last. She was too focused on the first part she had said. A smile now broke onto her face, tears long forgotten. "Perfect! This is great. I'll get you up and early tomorrow. Do your hair and makeup." When she said this Gwen's face fell, but Maggie chose to ignore it. "I also still have to go buy your dress." She excitedly said to her.

Now _that_ had Gwen reacting verbally. Her posture went straight from where she was sitting on the couch. "Wow, _dress_? I have to wear a dress?" She asked her mother with a displeased expression set on her face.

"It's a festival and you're performing." Maggie obviously pointed out to her. She was looking at her daughter as if she had three heads for asking such question. "Of course you have to wear a dress."

 _Fan-fucking-tastic._

Gwen wanted to refuse, but she knew better than to do so. Knowing her mother, she would have just started crying again. Gwen sighed, once again caving to her mother's demands. "I'll wear a dress then."

"I know the perfect red dress you could _―"_

 _"No."_ Gwen immediately protested against that.

Maggie frowned at her daughter's response."Excuse me?"

Gwen closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. She looked at her mother with a solemn stare. "I'll wear a dress, and I'll even let you pick it out yourself, but it _can't_ be red." Ever _s_ ince the night she was supposed to meet up with Chase for their date, Gwen hadn't worn any red colored dresses. She even threw away the red dress she wore that night in the trash. Red now was just an awful reminder of the date she never got to have with Chase and of his unexpected death. So for this certain demand from her mother there was no negotiation whatsoever. A thought popped into Gwen's head, and she went with it. "Get me a blue colored one instead." She told her mother. She could deal with blue. Gwen liked the color blue because it reminded her of Chase's eyes.

Although Maggie wanted her daughter to wear a red dress (in her opinion red was her daughter's color), she knew Gwen was too stubborn with this demand to give in. Tears wouldn't help Maggie this time. She sighed, nodding her head. "I'll get a blue dress then." She was about to bend down to give her daughter a hug, but decided at the last second to just give her a forced smile. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Gwen and her weren't that affectionately close to one another. Not unless they were going through something emotional (like when Maggie had to break the sad news to Gwen about George Denbrough's disappearance). Without saying anything else to her, Maggie grabbed her purse and then left through the front door.

Looking passed the hug she _thought_ her mother was about to give to her, Gwen's straight posture faltered and she leaned back against the couch. All thoughts were now focused about tomorrows festival and how she was going to sing. She got a weird feeling in her stomach. It wasn't because of nerves (she was never one to get stage fright), it was because she wasn't looking forward for tomorrow morning. She was going to get her hair and makeup done...by her mother of all people. If Francine were here she probably would have been laughing her ass off. Good thing she wasn't. Gwen huffed and ran a hand through her dark locks.

There was a creak coming from the stairs before a whisper filled the air.

"Is she gone?"

A small smile appeared on Gwen's face recognizing her brother's voice. He had been smart enough to stay upstairs while she and their mother talked. No doubt he heard the whole conversation. So why act like he hadn't? "Yeah, she's gone now. She went out to go buy me my dress." She said with false enthusiasm.

Richie hurriedly went down the stairs and sat down next to Gwen on the couch. He turned to look at her, his head tilting a bit. "You caved in a lot quicker than I thought you would." He blurted out to her.

Not surprised that he said this, Gwen continued with the conversation. "She started crying. What was I supposed to do? Richie, you know I hate it when she cries." She said, once again feeling the awkwardness from her mother's crying. Letting her annoyed emotions get the better of her, Gwen let out a irritated sound as she once again thought about tomorrow and what it would entail. "Ah, this is such _bullshit_."

"You can always not sing." Richie offered trying to ease his sister's annoyance.

Gwen let out a scoff. "And face mom crying her eyes out? I can already imagine her saying..." She fixed her voice so it sounded like her mother's. _"I just wanted everyone to hear your lovely voice, was that so much to ask?"_ She pretended to cry before sobering up. "Yeah, I don't think so." The dark haired girl would much rather deal with an angry mom than a sad one. "Tomorrow I'll just sing and get it over with. Besides, it's only in the morning." And that's what got Gwen through. She would sing in the morning, and afterwards she'd hopefully be out of whatever dress her mother got her, followed by dressing in one of her pairs of shorts and whatever t-shirt she wanted to wear tomorrow.

"Speaking of tomorrow..." Richie finally began saying what he needed to tell her. "Bill called while you and mom were, um, _talking_."

 _Bill had called?_ She had been way into the conversation with her mother, that _neither_ of them even heard the house phone ring. "What he say?" Gwen inquired her younger brother.

"He wants _all_ of us to meet at the festival tomorrow to further discuss about...you know." Richie said taking an unusual serious tone and expression.

Gwen got the same type of expression on her face. "Got it." And she did get it.

She knew what _all_ of us meant. It meant Richie, herself, Bill, Ben, Beverly, Stan, Eddie, and _Mike_. Their new found friend. Ever since that rock fight with Henry Bowers (the very fight they won), Mike had easily become apart of their friend group. A friend group otherwise known as the Losers' Club. Their friendship with Mike grew even more stronger after they all went to Richie's and Gwen's place to hang out and watch a movie together. And much to Richie's delight they did end up watching _Star Wars,_ because as it turned out Mike was a huge fan of the _Star Wars_ movie trilogy. The group of friends only got to watch _A New Hope_ before their fun movie session was interrupted by Richie's and Gwen's mother arrival. However it was during that time that they discovered that Mike had been seeing weird scary things. He admitted that he too had seen a _clown_ as well, furthering all of their red alarms.

It was now even more obvious to them that there was some strange _being_ tormenting them. And as much as Gwen wanted to discuss and confront this issue, it made her feel sick to her stomach. Memories of that eerie smiling clown filled her mind and she felt like hiding under her bed covers.

Richie saw the apprehension his sister had and went to ease it away. "Hey..." He said catching her attention. "Wanna go hang out at the arcade for a little while? You can help me out with my _Street Fighter_ training." He said offering her a smile.

Gwen greatly appreciated the distraction. Not to mention spending time with her brother always brighten up her mood. She returned the smile back. "Sure, why not?"

The two of them grabbed whatever loose change they found around the house and then rode their bikes toward the local arcade together. They knew tomorrow would entail confronting this "clown" issue head on, but right now they chose to ignore it. They instead enjoyed the brother sister time they got to have with each other.

* * *

Early the next morning people were up and running around town. Decorations of red and blue could be seen everywhere. The fourth of July festival the town of Derry, Maine had each year was a _huge_ celebration for the townsfolk. Even with the disappearance, the majority of people looked past the misfortune that surrounded the town and instead focused more on the annual celebration.

This, however, was a problem only a certain group of kids could no longer ignore.

Among the ignorant crowd of adults, Richie and Stan, two members of now established Losers' Club walked together to where the stage was located at the center of town. They were supposed to meet the rest of the group members there to watch Gwen perform together and then meet afterwards to talk. Stan knew how consequential today was going to be (Bill calling him yesterday was proof of that), but despite the anxiousness he was feeling because of that dreaded conversation they were soon going to have, he couldn't help but allow himself to feel excited about hearing Gwen sing. It was the only good thing that he had going for this day. That and the firework show Derry had every year for the fourth of July.

"So, is she really performing today?" Stan asked Richie for the fifth time today since leaving his house. He knew this question was beginning to annoy his bespectacled friend, but his eagerness was getting the better of him.

Behind his glasses, Richie rolled his eyes. "I already told you, she is."

Stan smiled, excitedly. "I can't wait to hear her sing."

"Why?" Richie asked, curious. His sister was a good singer and he too was excited to hear her sing, but Stan's own excitement was through the roof. "I mean, you've heard her sing before."

Stan shrugged his shoulders, trying to act nonchalant. "It's just been a long time since she's sang out in public."

"Sure." Richie said narrowing his eyes behind his glasses. He stopped walking causing Stan to do the same. His friend looked at him oddly for the abrupt stop, but before he could say anything, Richie pulled Stan to the side. He waited until a group of teens walked passed them before he focused on Stan again. "Remind me again why you like my sister?" He asked his curly haired friend once they were alone.

Stan felt his cheeks flush at the mention of his crush on Gwen. His heart hammered against his chest."Because she's nice….and whenever I look at her it's like she's the only person in the whole room. She's like the sun…..she brings light everywhere she goes."

"Wow…." Richie uttered, but ruined whatever seriousness they were having with his next comment. "You, Stan the Man sure have a way with words. You just might grow up to be a Hallmark Card writer."

"Shut up, Richie!" Stan retorted, flustered by embarrassment.

Richie gave his bird loving friend a look of rare sincerity. "Look, I understand why you like my sister." He said, joking thrown aside. "And as much as it weirded me out at first, I'm not against you being with her."

Stan's eyes widen a bit. "Really?" Was this Richie's way of giving him his blessing? Stan found this odd, but he still appreciated it. It was nice knowing he no longer found his crush on Gwen to be weird.

Richie nodded his head. "Yeah, it's just that..." He adjusted his glasses as he thought of his next words to say to him. "Well...Gwen's not exactly the brightest when it comes to figuring out someone likes her. Especially since she's still hung over you know _who_."

 _Chase Campbell._

Stan lowered his eyes, crestfallen. It always came down to Chase Campbell. Stan once knew the Campbell boy. He used to live in the same neighborhood as him, so the curly haired boy would sometimes engage the blue eyed boy in conversation. He honestly could not say anything bad about Chase. He really was a nice guy. That just made it even more harder for Stan to accept the fact that Gwen still had feelings for the now deceased teen. His eyes averted back up, and he gave Richie a look that held forlorn hope. "Do you think I'll ever actually have a chance with her?"

Richie sighed taking in friend's sad hopeful exterior. He never liked being in the middle of things when it came to romantic heartfelt emotions. He preferred to be far away from that shit storm as possible. Of course that was a hard thing to accomplish when one of his closest friend's liked his older sister. Richie didn't want to be the one to cause Stan to feel even more despairing feelings when regarding Gwen, but what exactly was he supposed to say to him? _Yes, Stan you'll get your shot with her eventually._ He didn't know that for sure, and he didn't want to give his friend false hope. He wished Stan would have the balls to tell Gwen the damn truth already about how he liked her. Richie would have told Gwen himself, except that would have seriously pissed off Stan (and he didn't want to cause any drama between them), and more importantly it wasn't his place to say anything. That was all on Stan the Man.

Stan was quiet, but appeared to be waiting impatiently to her his reply to his question. Richie adjusted his glasses again, trying to avoid saying anything to him, when all of a sudden something behind Stan caught his attention. "Speak about her and she shall appear." He commented, whimsical. This caused Stan to furrow his eyebrows, bemused.

"What are you talking about?" Stan asked him.

Instead of saying something comical or utterly ridiculous to him, Richie just used one of his fingers to point behind his curly haired friend.

Stan turned around and when he saw _her_ it was if everything around him had gone into slow motion. It felt like he was in a sappy romantic movie and this was the scene where the girl who the main character harbored feelings for made her intro. And _wow_ what an intro did Gwen Tozier make. She clearly was dressed up for the festival. Her hair was curled and she wearing a knee length dark blue dress that complimented her _very_ well. Stan could practically hear the song _Take My Breath Away_ by _Berlin_ playing in his head as he watched Gwen continue walking towards them.

Now even though Stan had seen Gwen wear dresses before in the past, for some reason this time felt different. Her beauty was more profound. Just like how it had been when they were at the quarry. He did not want this moment to end. It was so surreal in the best possible way.

When Gwen saw Stan looking her way, all she did was smile (so very unaware of his adoration) causing the curly haired boy to feel the sensation known as butterflies in his stomach. It was a simple action for her but it meant a whole lot for Stan. At the age of fifteen, Gwen Tozier was already a heart-breaker and it was a quality she would have well into her years.

From beside him, Richie saw the starry eyed look Stan had. He discreetly rolled his eyes at friend. "Close your mouth, you're drooling." He lowly said so Gwen wouldn't hear him. Stan quickly did so and tried to act cool for Gwen who was now in front of them.

Gwen smiled at her brother and Stan. "Hey guys."

Richie gave his sister a wave, while Stan continued admiring her. It wasn't until Richie elbowed him that he was able to get somewhat a hold of himself. "You look...uh..." Stan choked, still unable to find the right words to say to her. He was even more speechless now that she was standing in front of him.

His lack of words made Gwen feel self conscious. With an awkward smile she pointed to herself. "I look freakin' ridiculous." She said trying to sound lighthearted, but failed in doing so. Even though her mother had reassured her she looked beautiful, Gwen didn't think she did. Her curled hair wasn't bothering her as much as the makeup she had on. Her mother hadn't over done it, but Gwen wasn't really used to having more than simple lip gloss on. So the makeover she received from her mother so early in the morning was shell shocking to see in the mirror. It was like looking at a different person. She now knew the power makeup had.

"No!" Stan immediately corrected her. He didn't want her having any negative thoughts. She was far from looking ridiculous. When he saw her puzzled expression he became embarrassed but he didn't back away from further complimenting her. "I think you look pretty."

 _Pretty_. Gwen suddenly became bashful. Why was it that she accepted Stan's compliment more than her mother's? And why did it leave such a heavy impact on her? It was just a simple compliment. Her thoughts on this were soon interrupted when Richie spoke.

"Yeah, you don't look like roadkill." The youngest Tozier said with a playful smile. "So that's a plus."

Instead of getting mad or even annoyed at him, Gwen just laughed. This was her brother's way of complimenting her. " _Thanks_." She said thoroughly amused. She settled down her laughter and then looked at them, semi-seriously."Um, by any chance do you guys have any food on you? I haven't ate."

"What do you mean you haven't ate?" Richie questioned, confused and concerned. She woke up extra early today to get ready. Hadn't she ate breakfast?

Stan was thinking the same thing and voiced this question out-loud. "Not even breakfast?"

Gwen sighed. "Well, I don't count a simple banana and toast as breakfast."

Richie's eyes widen more behind his glasses. "That's all you ate?"

"Mom didn't want me to eat a large breakfast because she thought that would make me bloat." Gwen replied and after she said this she felt her stomach rumble. A frown settled on her face. "I swear I'm tempted enough to sing _Never Gonna Give You Up_ by _Rick Astley_ just to spite her."

Richie found her comment to be funny despite his concern for her. "You totally should." That would have totally pissed off their mother.

"What are you gonna sing?" Stan asked, deeply curious.

Gwen managed to give him a secretive smile. "You'll find out soon." Her gaze then went over to where they were selling and serving food. "Anyways, I should probably go buy something to eat before I perform. Don't want to pass out. Although that might bring more people to watch."

Richie was about to offer to buy his sister some food, when an idea came to mind. He looked at Stan and discreetly gestured to Gwen. Stan, however, did not understand this and instead gave him a confused expression. Richie inwardly rolled his eyes at how clueless his friend was. He elbowed Stan and then gestured to the food area and then back to Gwen. It took a few seconds before a look of realization crossed Stan's face. _Good_. Now he understood.

Stan shyly stepped forward. "I'll treat you to something."

Surprised by this kind gesture, Gwen turned to look at him immediately shaking her head. "You don't have to Stan."

"No really. I want to." Stan kindly said to her.

"But what about Richie?" Gwen asked looking her brother.

Richie comically put one of his hands against his ear. "What was that? _Oh,_ I think someone's calling for me. Gotta go!" He then took off running to where the center stage was at to meet up with the others.

"Well, that was quite the exit." Gwen said fighting the urge to laugh at her brother's eccentric behavior.

"Yeah." Stan agreed even though he knew exactly why Richie had left so swiftly. "So, what do you want to eat?"

"How about we go check out what they have?" Gwen suggested.

Stan nodded his head and walked next to her as they went to where the towns people were making and selling food. Once there they saw a bunch of different types of food that were being sold. There were hamburgers, hot-dogs, pasta salad, BB&Q, and bunch of other stuff. And although that all looked delicious to Gwen, it was the funnel cake she saw by the desserts that won her over. She should have wanted something else to eat but her sweet tooth at the moment got the better of her.

All it took was one look at the funnel cake and Stan knew that was what she wanted to eat. He had no issues paying for the funnel cake and then giving it to her. Gwen took the dessert from him, bashful yet grateful for the kind gesture. She thanked him once more before they went to go sit down at one of the empty tables the town had set up for the festival.

"You want some?" Gwen decided to ask him. It had only been a few minutes since they sat down, but she had already ate half of the funnel cake and she was beginning to get full. It had been a while since had ate one so she forgot how big they were.

Stan politely shook his head. "No, it's supposed to be for you."

"Stan, come on. Look at the size of this thing." Gwen said briefly gazing down at said dessert. "Have some." Her face then tilted to the side a bit. "Unless you don't like funnel cake."

"I've actually never tried it before." Stan shyly admitted to her.

This certainly got a reaction out of Gwen. "What?" She blurted out. "You've never tried funnel cake before? That's _unacceptable_. You got to try this then." She said passing the rest of the funnel cake to him.

Stan figured why not and tried a piece of the funnel cake. His eyes widen a bit by how _good_ it was...even it was too sugary for his normal taste in things.

"So?" Gwen asked eager to hear his opinion. "What do you think?"

Stan swallowed the piece he had in his mouth. "It's sugary but good." He said as checked his shirt for any fallen crumbs. There weren't any.

Gwen found this action to be adorable. Ever the clean one. Things between them after that got quiet again. Given they were alone, Gwen figured this would be the best time to bring up what she wanted to say to him since the rock fight. She waited until he was finishing the last piece of the funnel cake before she spoke.

"I never got to fully thank you." Gwen said causing Stan to give her a confused look. She elaborated her sudden comment. "You know for defending me against Henry."

 _Oh_. Stan tried to appear like it wasn't a big deal for him (even though it was). "That's not necessary for you to do."

"I think it is." Gwen said earnestly. Her dark eyes gazed deeply into his light brown eyes making the feeling of butterflies return to his stomach. "No one's ever stood up for me like that before." She let out a low laugh. "Well, except for Richie, but he's my brother." Her laughter stopped and she became serious again as she kept her gaze on him. "And you're not my brother. You're..." She stopped talking, unable to finish that sentence for some reason.

" _I'm_?" Stan asked, his eyes filled with hope that would she admit she cared for him the same way he cared for her.

The longer Gwen stared at Stan the more unsure she got with how to finish that damn sentence. Why was she having a difficult time talking to Stan? That's never been an issue before. Obviously he was her friend, so why couldn't she say that? She took a deep breath, averted her eyes away from him for a few seconds before looking at him again. "You're Stan the Man." Gwen ended up saying once having composed herself. "My friend." She smiled half-heartedly. Why did saying that to him leave such an odd feeling within her? It was as if that wasn't the right word to describe what he was to her. Except that's what he was, a friend.

 _Friend._

That word mocked Stan. A friend was all he was ever going to be to her. Unless he finally confessed that he liked her. Except did he have the courage to do so? He took a deep breath. His eyes soften as he tried to finding the right words to say to her. "Gwen, I _―_ "

 _"Gwen!"_

They both turned to where the name calling had come from. There standing a few feet away from them was Maggie Tozier. The older woman was giving her daughter an impatient look as she was tapping her wrist to signify the time.

Gwen sighed, semi-annoyed. "Guess that's my cue." She got up and made sure her dress alright before she started walking towards her mother. Half-way, she glanced over shoulder. The Tozier girl gave Stan a heart-felt smile. "Thanks again...and not just for the funnel cake." With that being, said she continued walking until she reached her mother, who then dragged her off to further ready her for the performance she was about to do.

It bothered Stan that he got interrupted, but he wasn't about to miss Gwen sing, so he quickly threw the now empty plate into the trash and then ran to where she was going to perform. When he got there he immediately began looking for the rest of his friends. He was having trouble finding them and it wasn't until he saw Richie waving his hands in the air that Stan saw where they all were at. They were all sitting in the front roll of the chairs that were put out, facing the stage. The curly haired boy quickly made way his over to them. He said a quick hello to all his friends before he took a seat next to Richie. The bespectacled boy looked at him with curiosity.

"So, how'd it go?"

"How'd what go?" Eddie asked from beside the other seat that was next to Richie. He had just taken his morning doze of medicine (the _prescribed_ pills he kept in his fanny pack) when he heard Richie ask this question.

Richie gestured to Stan. "I left Stan the Man here have a moment with my dear sister."

Eddie's eyes widen. "Shit Stan, did you finally tell her?" His voice had taken a hopeful tone and it was one the rest of the group friends noticed. Bill, Ben, Beverly, and Mike (who now knew of Stan's crush on Gwen) turned to look at the curly haired boy. All of them were eager to hear his reply.

Stan was thrown back by such attention. "I..." He let out a sigh. "No."

All of them let out signs of disappointment at such response.

"Well when are you going to?" Richie blurted out.

Stan lowered his eyes. "I just don't think it's the right time yet."

Before Richie (or any of them) could retort anything back, the sound of someone testing out the microphone caught their attention. One of the female members of the committee was on stage doing the usual announcements one would make at festivals. Once she finished, she finally called out Gwen's name. Several seconds later after the committee lady left the stage, Gwen stepped forward into the spotlight. It might have been the sun, but there on the stage, Stan found her radiating with even more beauty.

" _Woohoo_! Go Gwen!" Richie cheered as his sister reached for the microphone. The rest of the group, along with a few other people who were around clapped for her. Gwen smiled bashfully before she waved to her friends who were seated in the front row. She then closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. When she opened them again the background music coming from the stereo's was being played. Just like with the piano, singing came naturally to her. And as she started singing the melancholic lyrics to the acoustic version of _Sweet Child O' Mine_ it was if she had become a totally different person.

 _She's got a smile it seems to me r_ _eminds me of childhood memories_  
 _Where everything w_ _as as fresh as the bright blue sky_  
 _Now and then when I see her face s_ _he takes me away to that special place_  
 _And if I'd stare too long_ _I'd probably break down and cry_

 _Oh, oh, oh_  
 _Sweet child o' mine_  
 _Oh, oh, oh, oh_  
 _Sweet love of mine_

By now the whole audience was in awe. For those had never heard Gwen sing before (which included Ben and Mike), they were especially blown away by how powerful and harmonious her voice was. While Ben and Mike were fascinated by her singing, Richie, Bill, Beverly, and Eddie were thoroughly taking in the song's lyrics, momentarily letting the song take away any troubled thoughts they were having. As for Stan...well he continued to be enamored not just by Gwen's singing, but by her overall presence.

 _She's got eyes of the bluest skies a_ _s if they thought of rain_  
 _I hate to look into those eyes a_ _nd see an ounce of pain_  
 _Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place w_ _here as a child I'd hide_  
 _And pray for the thunder a_ _nd the rain t_ _o quietly pass me by_

 _Oh, oh, oh_  
 _Sweet child o' mine_  
 _Oh, oh, oh, oh_  
 _Sweet love of mine_

To others this was just an ordinary performance by a young teenage girl. Nothing extraordinary about that, but for certain group of friends it was so much more than that. It was an escape from the uneasy reality they had to deal with. It was peaceful and it was exactly what they needed. The whole dreaded conversation about the clown was still to be had, but for right now none of them were thinking about that. They instead focused on the beautiful song that was being sung by Gwen.

And as she continued singing, a certain curly haired boy's feelings for her became even more intense.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Okay guys as you can tell I decided to split this chapter into two parts because this chapter was getting way too long. I apologize for that ^.^ So the next chapter will be a continuation for the fourth of July scene and will include the whole group talking more about their encounters. So look forward to that! (: _


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Based on the reviews I got you guys really liked the last chapter because of how fluffy it was. The Gwen and Stan scenes had you guys seeing bright colors ***tehehe*** Because of that I have a feeling you guys are gonna like this one too, even with the way it ends xD Anyways, enjoy this chapter!_

 _ **P.S.** For some reason I had **L**_ _ **ed Zeppelin's** song **Immigrant** stuck in my head when I was writing this chapter. Just a random little fact I wanted to share with you guys. _

* * *

_"I accept the hard reality that I maybe might possibly be just the slightest tiniest littlest bit kinda sorta interested in him." ― Sarah Ockler, Twenty Boy Summer_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 15: A unexpected development**_

After Gwen finished her performance, she wasted no timing getting off the stage to met up with Richie and the others. Her friends immediately surrounded her, and she let out a smile when she noticed her brother's carefree behavior.

"Alright, you guys can now bow down to the talented one in our group." Richie announced before doing a exaggerated bow. The rest of them joined Gwen's laughter, amused by Richie's antics.

"That was amazing!" Eddie cheered. His cheeks were tinted pink by the gazing he had done when Gwen had been on stage. The color only intensified when Gwen's smile was directed onto him. However, her attention was soon caught thanks to Beverly.

Beverly stared at her older dark haired friend in amazement. "I almost forgot how great your voice was."

"You really were great, Gwen." Stan shyly confessed. When she looked at him, he felt his cheeks start to warm up. He cleared his throat as he felt butterflies invade his stomach again. "I liked the song you chose."

Gwen's eyes softened upon his shy demeanor. "Thanks, I had a feeling that song would be a good choice." Her mother hadn't wanted her to sing that song, but luckily Gwen was able to persuader at the last minute.

"It was!" Beverly chimed.

From beside her, Mike tilted his head, curious. "You ever think about joining a band?" He suddenly asked the older girl who he considered a close friend now. Since the rock fight with her and the others helping him out, Mike had become a member of their group.

Gwen gave him a light playful punch to one of his shoulders. Mike pretended as if he had gotten a serious hit, faking a grimace. This of course only amused her and the others. "As if." Gwen said in a droll like way. She didn't think her singing was band worthy.

"Maybe you'll be a professional solo singer." Ben said with his own smile.

Gwen laughed, shaking her head. "I don't see singing as my career." The others once again joined in with the laughter. "I see myself more as a professional softball player." Little did Gwen know, that singing was exactly what she would be doing in her adult years.

"I c-c-can see that." Bill commented, having no trouble picturing her playing softball in the outfield. His eyes suddenly narrowed when he saw what was missing around her neck. "Hey, w-w-where's your necklace?" He asked, bewildered that she wasn't wearing her signature silver Turtle necklace. That was an unusual thing to see considering she always had it on. The necklace had sort of become her main thing, like with Richie and his glasses. Of course Richie needed his glasses, but as of lately Bill had begun to view Gwen's necklace with the same importance Richie's glasses had.

" _Oh_." Gwen touched her neck briefly. A gloomy expression appeared on her face. "My mom made me take it off. She said it didn't go with the dress." Gwen had protested greatly with taking her necklace off, but her mother wouldn't give up. The argument ended with her mother undoing her necklace and taking it away from her. Needless to say Gwen was really annoyed and mad at her mother for doing that.

"It's kind of weird seeing you without it." Richie admitted to his sister. He too had gotten used to seeing her wearing the necklace. Richie had no idea who gave her that necklace, but it was obvious to him now how that necklace meant a lot to Gwen.

Gwen nodded her head, ready to say something else, when Bill's voice filled the air.

"We s-s-s-should probably start t-t-talking now." He told his group of friends with a serious voice.

And so they did.

It was time to finally discuss the issue at hand.

* * *

They had moved across the street to where the ice cream shop was at. Currently the annual parade which Derry had was happening, but none of them were really watch it. Well except for Richie, but he was more focused with the baritone one of the male marching band members was playing. The rest of them (excluding Eddie who was buying ice cream at the moment) were looking at a missing kids poster that had Eddie Corcoran face on plastered on it. The missing poster had been hidden underneath one of the fourth of July festival fliers. Now Gwen liked the annual festival but this deeply upset her. It was like none of the town members cared about the disappearance Eddie Corcoran anymore. Like they were trying to forget about...or maybe they already had...that sent chills down her spine.

"They say they found a part of his hand all chewed up near the stand pipe." Stan voiced adding to the disturbed tension filled air.

"He asked me to borrow a pencil once." Ben quietly admitted. Sadly that was about all the interaction he had with Eddie Corcoran before he ended up "disappearing."

Bill, ever somber, approached another fourth of July flier that was on the brick wall and lifted it up. None of them were surprised to see another covered up missing poster. This was one Betty Ripsom's. Bill yanked the fourth of July filer off and turned to face his friends. His expression anything but delighted. "It's like she and Eddie C-C-Corcoran have b-b-been forgotten because of all the d-d-disappearance that are happening."

From beside Gwen, Stan spoke again. "Is it ever going to end?"

Before anybody was able to answer his question, Beverly a little bit sheepish and amused looked over at Gwen. "Uh, Gwen?" She called out and once said older girl looked at her, Beverly gestured to where Richie was at.

Gwen instantly felt like face palming herself once she saw what exactly her younger brother was doing. She watched as Richie was desperately trying to take away the baritone from one of the male marching band members. She had to admit it was pretty hilarious, but this was no time to laugh. When he had successfully yanked the baritone from the band member's hands, he looked her way.

"Hey, Gwen, check this out!" Richie merrily announced as he tried to show off his baritone skills to his sister (skills that he _seriously_ lacked).

Gwen once again contained the laughter that wanted to escape. "Oh, my God." She said now fighting the urge to even smile at her brother's ridiculousness.

The marching band member let Richie play for a few seconds before he finally got fed up. Without saying anything to the bespectacled boy, he snatched the baritone back from him.

Richie glared at the boy for ruining his music session. "What the fuck, dude?" He asked throwing his hands out in the air.

The marching band member just gave him an annoyed expression before stomping away as he tried to catch up with the rest of the band. Richie just rolled his before he walked over to where his friends were.

"Really, Richie?" Gwen asked, only half serious when he came to stand next to her. "I'm the one with ADHD and even I'm paying more attention than you!"

"Yeah, yeah." Richie mumbled before he lighten up a bit. "I have mad skills, don't I?"

"I plead the fifth." Was all Gwen said before focusing on previous conversation. Richie was going to ask what that meant when the missing posters that were on the wall caught his attention.

At that moment Eddie came back with two ice creams in hand. "What are you guys talking about?" He curiously asked as he handed one of the newly bought ice cream cones to Richie.

Richie took a lick of his ice cream before answering the smaller boy's question. "What they always talk about."

"I actually think it will end." Ben informed his friends. They looked at him, hopeful yet muddled by such an answer. "For a little while at least."

Beverly got a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?" She asked voicing everyone's thoughts.

Ben sighed. "So, I was going over all my Derry research and I charted out all the big events. The Ironworks explosion in 1908, the Bradley gang in thirty-five, and then the Black Spot in sixty-two, and now kids..." He took a deep breath gathering his distressed emotions. "I realized this stuff seems to happen every _―"_

"Twenty-seven years." Bill and Ben said at the same time.

"But why every twenty-seven years?" Gwen asked vehemently.

Ben gave her a sad look. "I still have yet to figure that part out."

The group all looked at each other with anxiousness. Gwen being the one filled the most dread. Even if what Ben said was true and all this bad stuff would come to an end soon, it was just going to happen again later on in twenty-seven years. And despite being all grown up and hopefully away from Derry by then, Gwen in no way wanted this clown thing to attack any more people, especially kids. It was dangerous to even think about confronting it, but if not them then who? Who would put a stop to this evil entity's terror?

* * *

"Okay, so let me get this straight." Eddie began speaking as they were now back at the center of town again. The group of friends were close to the Paul Bunyan statue, with Beverly, Stan, Gwen, and Mike setting on a nearby bench, while Bill, Richie, and Eddie sat on their bikes. " _IT_ comes out from wherever for like a year and then what? _IT_ just goes into hibernation?" The smaller boy asked his friends.

"Maybe it's like? What do you call it? Cicadas." Stan offered as a sort of explanation. Was it rational? Not in this situation, but it was at least something. "You know the bugs that come out every seventeen years."

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed." Mike inputted as he looked at the fourth of July decorations that surround the town square. "He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing. An evil thing that feeds off the people in Derry."

Gwen gave Mike a small nod after he said this. Although she had never met Mike's grandfather she had no problem agreeing with the older man's reasoning. There was something _evil_ in Derry, and that evil thing was the reason for all the disappearances. From the looks of it, it seemed that everyone else in the group was agreeing to this...well except for one person.

Stan frowned at such reasoning. "But it can't be one thing. We all saw something different."

"Maybe...or maybe it knows what scares us the most and that's what we see." Mike suggested.

Eddie swallowed the lump in his throat. "I saw a Leper." He nervously confessed to his friends. He felt chills go down his spine talking about his encounter again. "It was like a walking infection."

"But you didn't." Stan insisted trying to remain rational with not only the group, but with himself as well. "Because it isn't real. None of this is. Not Eddie's Leper, or Bill seeing Georgie, or the woman I keep seeing."

"Is she hot?" Richie suddenly asked. It was meant as a joke but he was very curious to hear his answer.

Everyone gawked at such a random question.

" _Richie_." Gwen stressed out her brother's name. She was giving him a _"are you serious?"_ type of look. This was not the time to be funny. In return to her mild chide stare, Richie just shrugged his shoulders becoming slightly sheepish for asking such a question. After seeing that she somewhat got through to him, Gwen focused her attention onto Stan again.

From the corner of his eye, Stan saw how Gwen was giving him a concerned expression. His face redden embarrassed that she had heard any of this. He sent a scowl to his bespectacled friend for asking such a coarse question in front of the girl he liked. "No, Richie. She's not hot." He felt his stomach sink in terror just thinking about that painting. "Her face is all messed up." He took a deep breath and then looked at all of them. "None of this makes any sense. They're all like bad dreams."

Mike shook his head. "I don't think so. I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?"

"What did you see? You saw something too?" Eddie asked him. He knew (along with everyone else) based on what Mike told him that he saw the clown, but he hadn't mentioned what else he had the misfortune of seeing.

"Yes." Mike nodded his head. Besides the clown he had seen _something_ else. Something that deeply disturbed him. "You guys know that burnt down house on Harris Ave?" He asked and they all nodded their heads. Gwen knew exactly where that house had been. "Well, I was inside when it burnt down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door...trying to get to me...but it was too hot." Mike felt his eyes swell up at such mention. "When the fireman finally found them the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone." He took a brief moment to gather himself emotionally. During such time Gwen threw him a sympathetic expression and it was one that got him talking again. "We're all afraid of something."

"Got that right..." Richie muttered.

"Why Richie? What are you afraid of?" Eddie asked him. All this time and he had yet to know what his loud mouth friend was truly afraid of. The only one of the group to know his fear was probably Gwen. Which made sense, they were siblings. But other than with Gwen, Richie was never one to voice what scared him. Well not until now that is.

Richie released a nervous breath as he stared at the stage that was in the middle of the field. There dancing and entertaining the audience was a damn clown. He shuddered. " _Clowns_..." He admitted once he looked around at his friends again.

"I don't blame you." Gwen replied in agreement. She threw the clown that was on the stage a steel like gaze. She felt goosebumps go over her arms when the clown waved at her. Memories of her encounter with sinister clown came to mind. She quickly looked away. "Clowns can be scary as hell."

"G-G-Gwen?" Bill turned to look at the older girl he now came to view as an older sister. His gaze on her was soft, but yearning to hear her own experience."Can you finally t-t-tell us what you s-saw?"

Richie was quick to throw his friend a warning look. " _Bill_."

"No, it's okay." Gwen reassured her brother before averting her attention onto not only Bill, but to _all_ her friends. From of the looks of it, Stan seemed the most intrigued yet concerned. "I saw different things." She started explaining to them. "That day I left Ben's house, I didn't go home right away. I...I went to Chase's house."

"You did?" Stan asked.

Gwen nodded her head. "Just...something within me told me to go there and I did. It was then that I saw someone from one of his upstairs windows and I got mad." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "So I went inside."

"Then w-w-what happened?" Bill asked feeling on edge.

"Then...I saw..." Gwen took a deep breath getting a hold of herself. From the corner of her eyes she saw Richie give her a soothing expression. "First I saw the _Tarman_. He was all icky and gross looking and he went to touch me."

"Did he touch you?" Eddie asked. He felt like washing his hands now despite not having touched anything gross. He knew what the _Tarman_ was. Although he himself wasn't fan of horror movies, there had been times when Richie had convinced him to see one. _The Return of the Living Dead_ had been one of them and honestly the whole _Tarman_ scene is what disgusted him the most. In a way the _Tarman_ reminded him of the Leper he saw. Although in the end it was the Leper that really frightened him.

Gwen shook her head. "No, I ran down the stairs before it could. But I fell and..." This was the part that she was dreading tell them. But she knew she had too. "Then I saw Patrick."

That had everyone in the group looking at her in shock and full out concern.

Beverly got a nervous expression on her freckled covered face. "You saw _Patrick_?"

Gwen nodded her head. "He was decomposed and he tried to touch me. Actually, he _did_ touch me..." She said, once again feeling the need to shower until her skin was red from scrubbing.

"He...he touched you?" Richie questioned, his voice trembling, but not because of nerves. It was trembling because of anger. Whatever hate he had for this clown thing doubled after she said this.

Gwen stayed silent, and it wasn't until Stan's soft voice reached her ears. "Gwen?" She looked at him and she right away got control from the soothing expression he was giving her. "It was just my legs." She answered firmly."But I kicked whatever that thing was off of me and then ran." Despite her firm voice she felt her stomach in knots. "And that's when I saw the clown. He said his name was Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but to call him Robert Gray."

"Pennywise?" Mike questioned. That was the name of the clown that had been terrorizing not only him, but all his friends? Somehow knowing the clown's name made it even ten times worse.

Gwen nodded her head again. "Yeah...Pennywise." The Tozier girl _hated_ that name. The more she said it aloud and even in her head, the more hatred grew within her.

Although the clown had a supposed name, none of them wanted to openly acknowledge it. To them the clown was a thing. An evil creature. Not a damn person. Somehow though that information faltered everyone's thoughts. Well, not so much Richie's. He was still fuming over Gwen's safety despite her saying she got away.

"You're scared of Patrick?" Eddie asked releasing a shaking breath. He wasn't judging her by any means. He found (well used to find) the lanky boy to be quite the menace and was greatly on edge whenever he had been around him or his friends.

"Well, more like creeped out." Gwen lamely corrected. She took a deep breath deciding to be thoroughly honest with them. "You see awhile ago the girls locker room was broken into and I was the only one in there...and I was changing." She sighed and ran a hand through her dark curly locks. "I didn't get a good look at the person, only saw their backside. But I knew it was Patrick." Her voice hardened a bit when saying this. "After that he would always have on this smug look whenever he would see me. It made my skin crawl. I felt... _violated_ in a way."

Beverly stared at Gwen, completely empathetic. If anyone knew what it felt like to be violated it was Beverly Marsh. And it was because of her damn father. Although he hadn't done _that_ awful inexcusable thing to he _r,_ his _supposed_ affectionate touches and lingering looks were enough to make Beverly throw up. In fact, she had almost done so once or twice before. Now deep down Beverly did care for her father, but the love she had for him was going away as time went on, and she had a feeling the longer she stayed with him the more affectionate his love for her was going to become. The type of affection a father should never express towards his daughter. Beverly reached for the key necklace she had, and as she had seen Gwen do to her Turtle necklace, Beverly grabbed her key necklace for comfort.

"That _fucker_." Richie growled as his eyes behind his glasses darkened with anger. This was the first time he's heard about this. "Can't believe he got away with that."

"He's gone now." Stan added calming down not only Richie's anger, but his own as well. If Patrick were still alive he would have found the courage to confront him on what he did to Gwen, because what he did was dead wrong. "He won't cause us harm anymore."

"No, but there's s-s-something out there still causing h-h-harm." Bill stuttered, reminding his friends.

"There's something else I want to tell you guys. " Gwen added, nervously. "When I was little I would get these awful nightmares and all I would see were bright yellow eyes and sharp teeth...just like the clown had." She felt goosebumps on her arms as she said this. "Those horrible _yellow_ eyes." She wanted to grab onto her necklace and was almost going to...when she remembered she wasn't wearing it. That caused her to feel even more distressed. "I'd tell my parents, but they never really did much." Richie nodded to that because it was the truth. Their parents never took Gwen's nightmares seriously. "Just said I'd outgrow them...and the nightmares stopped, until recently." She finished saying to them.

None of them knew why she had these nightmares, or if they really did relate back to what was happening (although they had a strong feeling they did), but either way it was a strange and awful thing for Gwen to experience growing up.

"It's like the adults don't care." Ben added into the conversation. "Well, they do somewhat but overtime it's like they forget and move on as if nothing ever happened."

Bill nodded his head. "Exactly."

Not wanting to appear weak and deeply afraid (even though she was feeling afraid), Gwen decided to add a lighthearted comment. "Boy, I wish we had a time machine to reverse all this madness. Where's _Doc and Marty_ when you need them?" To her relief that got a few of them to release smiles. Richie's being the first she saw. Her friends smile somehow made her feel better, but not entirely. She didn't want to leave, but after that heavy conversation, she needed a breather. "I should go home and change." She said getting up from the bench. She gestured to her face. "Get this gunk stuff off my face. I'll be back in time for the fireworks." She waved at them before taking off.

The rest of them continued talking until they each went off to do their own thing. Before leaving though they all agreed to meet up again for the firework show. Despite where they were heading to. Eddie went back home to reassure his mother with his presence. Mike rode back to his grandfather's place. Richie right away went to the arcade again. Bill and Beverly however walked around town together. When Ben saw this he felt a little sad and dejected. He however didn't interfere. His displeasure was noticed by Stan who was still walking alongside him.

"You should tell her." Stan suddenly said to him.

Ben didn't answer back with an actual response, just a question of his own. "Are you gonna tell Gwen you like her?"

Stan faltered with his steps. "No...well...not yet."

Ben didn't pester him with his crush on Gwen. Stan would eventually tell her when he felt the time was right...whenever that going to be. He instead focused on another important question. "How'd you know I like Beverly?" He was curious as to how Stan knew. Ben hadn't told him his feelings for the beautiful red head. Only Gwen knew about his feelings for Beverly, and he knew Gwen didn't spill his secret.

"It's obvious." Stan simply informed him. "Guess you're not that great at hiding your feelings either."

"Guess not..." Ben mumbled. He let out a sigh. "If it's so obvious how come Beverly hasn't noticed then?"

That sentence alone got to Stan. It really did. He felt his heart ache just a bit when he looked at how downhearted Ben appeared to be. It reminded him of himself."I ask myself the same question when it comes to Gwen."

They both said nothing after that. Just continued walking together until they went their own way. The two of them aching for girls who hadn't yet taken notice to them.

* * *

Gwen finally felt like her normal self again once she got out of the shower and redressed back into her usual clothing. She was happy she longer had the makeup stuff on her face and that her hair was its natural way again. Although she was slightly sad that she wasn't wearing her Turtle necklace. The Tozier girl had gone into her parent's room to see if it was in there but she couldn't find it. Her mother must have hidden it somewhere else. She'd have to inquire her mother on the necklace's whereabouts later.

Now by the time Gwen made it back to the center of town (due by her decision to walk) it was just almost time for the fireworks show to start. It was still daytime and the reason why the fireworks were going to be released so early was because of the curfew the town was given. However, despite it being early Gwen was still excited. A firework show even during the day is still a firework show.

Richie and her always liked the fourth of July. Not just because of the fireworks, but because it was one of the holidays where their parents (or actually their mother) didn't hover over them. When they were younger (Richie being around seven and Gwen around nine) Halloween used to be their favorite holiday. That all changed when their mother Maggie became more assertive with what they should wear for costumes. After that Halloween became less fun for them. Luckily though two years ago (in 1987 before any of the awful events took place) their father Wentworth (surprisingly) had managed to get Maggie to back off. Which was something both Tozier siblings had been thankful for.

Now Christmas was a bit different. Richie and Gwen liked Christmas. The one thing they hated though was how their mother always forced all of them to spend time together. They knew she did this because in her mind this made them seem like a perfect family. Which was an image Maggie wanted other people in Derry to have on them. Even despite it not being one hundred percent true. Now Gwen and Richie didn't really mind this since they liked spending time together. Except there was a downside and that was that Maggie dictated how their time was spent. And none of them (not even Wentworth) liked _all_ the activities they had to do as a family. Taking pictures with awful Christmas sweaters was fine, but hours of holiday crafting? Now that was just too much.

The fourth of July was different. Which is why they preferred (especially Gwen) this holiday over the others. Their father Wentworth spent all of his time with his co-workers/buddies eating BBQ and drinking coolers, while their mother Maggie caught up with the latest gossip with her friends from book-club. Neither parent focused on their kids whereabouts. That should have bothered both Richie and Gwen, but it didn't. Not really. Despite them not liking how their parents didn't pay attention to them on a regular basis, their lack of attention at the moment was thrown to the side. Both siblings had other things (more important things) to focus on.

Walking through the crowds of people, Gwen let her eyes wander around. She had yet to find to her brother and friends. They had to be around here somewhere because this was where the firework show was going to be. Perhaps they were on the other side of the street? With this in mind, Gwen was about to cross the street when someone called out her name.

" _Gwen_."

That voice...that very familiar distinct _boyish_ voice.

Gwen already knew who this was. She turned around (very much reluctantly) and released a heavy sigh once she came face to face with his face. "What do you want, Victor?" He was standing there in front of her wearing dirty boots, camo pants, and a dark grey tank. His signature sleek-white blonde hair stood out even more because of the sunlight hitting it. Not in a bad way though. Gwen would never admit this out loud, but she had always found his hair to be cool. However, what stood out even more beside Victor's hair was the angry red mark he had on the side of his head. A rock injury. _Ouch_. It hadn't been her who had hit him, but one of her friends. Gwen had a feeling it had been Stan, considering he had been aiming most of his rocks at Victor. For a moment there Gwen felt her concern fully take over, but she quickly composed herself.

Reality had set in again. They hadn't spoken, let alone seen each other since the rock fight incident. Gwen was bewildered (and a little wary) as to why he was now initiating conversation with her. Now although her slight caution towards him, she knew deep down Victor wouldn't actually cause her harm...but that didn't mean the others wouldn't. Belch, she wasn't really worried about. It was more Henry Bowers. She'd put up a fight if she needed to. And she assumed there was going to be one because if Victor was here that meant Henry or even Belch could be around as well. She kept her guard up.

Victor remained where he stood. He appeared to be cool and in control on the outside, but on the inside he was ardently admiring her. He had seen her perform, and just like the others he was blown away by how amazing she sounded and looked on stage. Although despite looking like a complete knock out in that dark blue dress, Victor preferred her as she was right now. Makeup free and her hair in natural waves. Even with her clothing, Victor had always preferred Gwen dressed in her usual casual everyday outfits. Which today consisted of a black _Siouxsie And The Banshees_ t-shirt, jean shorts, and her pair of Converse. His heart swelled from looking at her true self. Now this was the Gwen Tozier he knew and liked.

As he was admiring her, Victor noticed how firm and on guard she appeared to be. Victor wasn't surprised by this. He hadn't spoken to her since the rock fight. The fight in which she had let him leave scot-free'. Not _exactly_ scot-free'...he did get hit a few times during the fight. None of those hits though had been from her. No they had been from the other Losers (the one that hit him on the side of head had been from Stan). Victor wasn't one hundred percent mad him or at any of the Losers. It had been a rock fight after all and he was a part of it. He knew there would be consequences. The one who had been furious (crazily so) was Henry. It had been a couple weeks now and Henry hadn't calmed down from the defeat, unlike him and Belch. Not that Victor was there much to witness Henry's out-bursts considering he hasn't been around him lately. Belch yeah, but not so much with Henry. He knew this was why Gwen was so wary right now. Victor wanted to sooth away her chariness much like he had done so when they ran into each other outside the music shop. Which now felt like _forever_ ago.

"I'm here by myself." Victor told her, his voice low but candid.

Gwen knew right away he was telling the truth. However, despite his reassurance, she still questioned him. Although her questioning had more to do with curiousness than wariness. "Where's Henry and Belch then?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows.

Victor shrugged his shoulders. He half-heartedly looked around the town and people walking around before his gaze landed onto her again. "I don't know. Around, I guess." His eyes became earnest. "I've been kind of doing my own thing lately."

Gwen was not expecting to hear that. Victor Criss doing his own thing? Not including Henry Bowers? He was always following around Henry. This was too bemusing to accept right away. "Are you no longer friends with them?" She asked him.

Victor processed that question. Unfortunately no answer came right away and he found himself fumbling his response. "No, I am. It's just...well...I kind of needed my space from them since..."

Gwen nodded her head. "Got it." She said no longer staring at Victor with bemusement or with harshness. Instead her gaze on the sleek-white blonde haired boy became softer. Her outward behavior definitely leaned more towards to being cordial with him. She was glad to hear he wasn't spending all of his free time with Henry and was out trying to do something on his own. It showed Gwen how he was willing to over throw his bully like tendencies. She opted to end the conversation with a single nod, but Victor said something that made her feel sheepishness.

"I saw your performance." He said continuing the civil conversation they were now having with each other.

Gwen groaned feeling the faintness blush cover her cheeks. She blamed the sun for that though. "Oh, great..."

Victor saw the tint of pink on her cheeks, and that sight alone dared him to continue on with his compliments. "I thought you were good." He openly admitted to her.

Gwen looked at him in disbelief. Did Victor Criss of all people just pay her a compliment? "Seriously?" She questioned, voice wavering a bit.

Her sudden bashfulness made Victor want to smile. An act that was a rare occurrence. He never really smiled. He just scowled when annoyed or angered, and grinned when amused. But for her, Victor found his lips going upwards forming into an actual smile and he didn't stop himself from doing so. "Sure, I mean, I always knew you were a good singer. Ever since the fifth grade talent show." He paused before his voice became the slightest bit upbeat. "I still think you should have won."

That comment got to Gwen more than she wanted to admit out loud. Sure she's received compliments for her singing, but for some reason Victor's compliment stood out more. In a way it sort of reminded her of when Chase complimented her all those years ago. Except Victor wasn't Chase. Victor was his own person with different (perplexing) qualities, and perhaps it was because of that made Gwen return the smile back. "Thanks." She softly said to him. It got quiet after that with only the sounds of people in the background being heard. If they had been alone it might have been awkward, but they weren't. Not only that but the air between them was oddly pleasant. This was something that had never occurred when they interacted with each other, and Gwen wasn't about to pass up the chance to actually have a somewhat friendly conversation with Victor. Except like always she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind."Did you like it?" She felt like running into a wall after saying that random question.

Now it was Victor's turn to be bemused. "Huh? Like what?"

Gwen cleared her throat. "The cassette?" She whimsically clarified. "You know, _Blue Oyster Cult_. I like that band too."

"Oh." Victor right away answered when she understood what she meant. It had been weeks since he bought that cassette. That didn't make his view on the specific band lessen. "Yeah, it was great. I've always been a fan of their music." And that was true. Henry and Patrick often dissed his choice music. Not so much Belch, and that was something Victor liked about his burly sized friend. Belch wouldn't degrade the things he liked, which is why he always preferred hanging out him. Even if he lacked major manners and was bit of an ass, deep down Victor knew Belch wasn't all bad. Not like Henry or how Patrick was. Belch however wasn't as independent as he was becoming and spent most of his time with Henry. Victor decided to not dwell on that subject and instead focused on the conversation he was having. He looked at Gwen and he found his lips forming into a small genuine smile. "You can borrow it if you want."

Gwen was surprised by his kind offer but she had no problem nodding her head. "Thanks." As she said this the amiable atmosphere between them grew more. "I think I might just take you up on that offer." She flashed him a quick smile before it faltered. "See you around, Victor."

"Yeah...see you around, Gwen." Victor said giving her a single nod. In this one act alone, whatever objectionable feelings there still were, (from Gwen of course) dissolved away. The Tozier girl gave him a quick wave before crossing the street. And as she walked away, she left with a more opening view towards the sleek white-blonde haired boy.

* * *

After that unusual yet pleasant encounter with Victor, Gwen resumed her search for her brother and friends. She gazed around the field but they weren't there. On the upside, from where she had been walking she was glad to see that creepy clown from early was no longer on the performing stage. Gwen had no idea where it was now but as long as it wasn't anywhere near her or her friends, then she was okay.

Her on going search came to a stop when she stood in front of Derry, Maine's jewelry store. A single diamond ring that was on display on the window caught her attention. Now she wasn't one for jewelry. The piece of jewelry she has been wearing consistently had been her silver Turtle necklace. Perhaps it was because she was sad from not wearing at the moment, but that simple ring was calling out to her. From the display she saw that it wasn't made from real diamonds, but Gwen didn't care. It was a simple yet nice ring. Except despite it not being real diamond, the ring was still around the one hundred dollar range. She cringed knowing she wouldn't be able to afford the ring. Maybe if she saved up...

"Do you like it?"

Gwen didn't jump from hearing Stan's soft voice. Instead she turned and gave him a smile, happy that she finally found someone from their group. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not usually one for jewelry, but I do like it."

Stan gave her a quizzical expression. "Why don't you buy it then?"

"It's not exactly around my dollar range." Gwen said laughing a bit. "I know it's not real diamond but it still costs a pretty penny. I can always save up though." She sobered up. "Anyways, where are the others?"

Stan looked at the ring thoughtfully (an idea already forming in his head) before he averted his attention onto her again. "They're on the other side of the street, where that line of people are at to see the fireworks."

"Okay, let's go."

They quickly crossed the street and made it just in time before one of the comity people finally announced the the beginning of the firework show. It took minute or two before they were able to walk through the crowd of people, that they finally found the rest of the group. Beverly was the first to wave at them and soon the others followed behind. By now a few fireworks had gone off and Gwen saw how excited her friends were (especially Richie). Her brother kept wooing and imitating the firework noises.

Eddie alongside Bill, Ben and Beverly were laughing at the bespectacled boy's antics. Mike, however, was too focused on just watching the show. He took great interest because this was his very time actually watching the fourth of July show in Derry. All the years before he felt too nervous to show up in town because of his lack of status he had in Derry. Except this time it was different and he didn't let any negative thoughts he had get to him. And what made it even better was that he wasn't alone...he was with his friends. A smile grew on his face as the show continued.

Gwen stood a little bit further away from her friends. As she watched the firework show she also watched how much fun and happy her friends looked. This was how she always wanted them to be like. Not scared because of some stupid clown entity or whatever the hell _IT_ was. She made sure to bask in this blissful moment because she had no idea if they were _ever_ going to get another one.

A soft gentle touch made Gwen's heart pick up pace. She gazed down to see someone had taken a hold of her right hand. Before she even looked up to see such person, she knew who it was. As she eyed Stan she felt the unknown feeling from before return. She looked at him intently. Not out of annoyance...but out of bewilderment.

Her intense staring made Stan blush and he instantly thought the worst. Had he irked her with his touch? He hadn't meant to. He really had no idea where he had gotten the courage to hold her hand...it just came and he went with it. Clearly this had been a mistake. "I'm sorry...should I-I let go?" He asked ready to let go of her hand. But after he said that the strangest (and greatest) thing happened. She intertwined their fingers together.

If the others weren't too focused on the firework show they would have been shocked (and happy) to see what was going on between them. But to Gwen this act seemed harmless, friendly even. There was nothing wrong with holding hands, right? Friends held hands all the time, and besides she's held hands with Stan before. It was totally platonic. So why didn't it fully feel like that? Gwen slightly shook her head, throwing this thought away. It was absurd to think that way. Stan was her... _friend_. Once again she felt odd saying that word in her head, but she tried her best to ignore this odd feeling. She instead gave him a warm smile and gently squeezed his hand.

"No, it's fine." She softly reassured him.

It took a few seconds, but a smile finally appeared on Stan's face. Blushing, he gazed down to look at their hands before he averted his attention to the ongoing firework show. Every minute or two he would gently squeeze Gwen's hand. And despite the odd feelings she was getting because of Stan, Gwen found herself returning a hand squeeze back every-time he did that. Both of their heartbeats picking up pace as they each did so.

While they were having this profound moment (a moment Gwen would later admit _evolved_ their friendship into something more), underneath the house on Neibolt street deep within the swears, _ITs_ spine-chilling yellow eyes were furiously glowing. The cosmic entity was _extremely_ angered by this new unexpected development.

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 ** _A/N:_** _So yeah...I ended the chapter like that._ _I'm awful, aren't I?_

 ** _*Important Info*_**

 _If you follow me on Tumblr then you already know about this, but for those who don't, I plan on releasing an **IT/Stanger Things** crossover once I finish this story. The crossover is going be separate from the main **IT** story and it's going to feature **Gwen** and how she ends up in **Hawkins, Indiana** after the events of **IT**. Since **Stranger Things** takes place in the early eighties I'm gonna have to alter the timeline a bit, but there won't be any other huge changes, just enough so **Gwen** can be involved in the story line. I also plan on making it a eventual **Steve Harrington x Gwen Tozier** pairing, so look forward to that. Anyways, let me know what are your thoughts on this idea. Until next time dear readers!_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Here it is folks...the projector scene. O.O Have fun reading! The next chapter will include the Neibolt House... Dun...Dun...Dun..._

 _ **P.S.** I'm glad you guys are excited for the **It/Stranger Things** crossover! :P I can't wait for guys to read it. I know I'm gonna have fun writing it. _

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_"The first step to believing something is true is wanting to believe it is true... or being afraid it is." ―Terry Goodkind_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16: Seeing is believing**_

The group of friends had all agreed to meet up at Bill's place _―_ or more specifically his _garage_. The Denbrough boy phoned all of them that very morning saying he had _important_ information he needed to share with them. Information despite him not telling them exactly what is was about right away, they all knew it was about that damn clown. However, even with the dread they were all feeling inside, they all gathered at said meeting place.

Gwen had been in a pretty bad mood that morning and that was something all seven friends could see. Especially Richie and Stan. Now the reason being for her temperamental behavior was because she never did end up getting her necklace back from her mother. Although it was that same morning that escalated for mood. Her mother Maggie had finally confessed to her that she misplaced the necklace, saying she had no idea where it was now.

Needless to say Gwen had been _pissed_ and beyond _upset_ from hearing such confession. That silver Turtle necklace meant _something_ to her and now it was _gone_.

Gwen should have fought harder, protested more against her mother for taking her necklace away in the first place. But she didn't...and now her source of comfort was lost. She had been so close to yelling at her mother for losing something she cared greatly for and she almost did so, but luckily Richie had been there to stop her from doing such a foolish thing.

Richie knew from personal experience that yelling at their parents (mainly at their mother) always ended in dire consequences. So he of course stopped Gwen before things got too messy. It was after when they left their house that Gwen thanked Richie for stopping her from almost doing a idiotic thing. And although she couldn't yell at her mother for losing her necklace, Gwen's anger didn't lessen. She, however, decided it would be best to just let her anger be shown through the facial expressions she would now be giving her mother.

Stan who was standing next to Gwen, gave her soft stare. As she was helping Mike close the garage door, Gwen made sure to him a single nod. Although it wasn't a verbal answer the curly haired boy took the response anyway. It was better than nothing.

Now that the garage door was closed, Bill stuck the last area of the poster he had on the wall. He took a step back and made sure it was looking alright before walking back behind the projector. By now everyone else had either taken a seat or were standing in their own designated area. Eddie and Ben were sitting somewhat up front. Beverly sat behind Ben, closer to where Bill was standing. Mike was also behind the projector, standing next to Bill. Then finally, Gwen was sitting behind Eddie in between Richie and Stan. Her brother to her right and her curly haired _friend_ to the left.

Bill quickly put in the slide that Ben had thankfully let him borrow. It had been the same one he had seen in his room all those weeks ago when they had gone over. Now thanks to Ben's slide and Bill's father Zack Denbrough work, Bill had a bunch of old maps of Derry all over the house. One specific map of which allowed him to overlap with the slide Ben brought. And it was that very slide he was now showing to his friends. This is what would help find his brother Georgie (or so he thought). He noticed that they were all quietly staring at the map with puzzled and intrigued expressions.

" _Look_." Bill pointed to the map, finally ending the silence between them. "That's where G-G-Georgie disappeared." He announced staring intently at the specific part of the map. It read _"Storm Drain"_ and there was a red _X_ signifying such location. His sorrow filled eyes continued looking for the next dire spot. "There's th-th-the Ironworks." He pointed out to his friends before carrying on again. "The Black Spot." He said, his voice hardening a bit with such realization. "Everywhere _IT_ happens, it's all c-c-connected by the sewers." He ardently informed his friends. He didn't dare say the clown's supposed name. To Bill this evil entity was just an _IT_. And he wanted to find _IT_ to get Georgie back. All Bill wanted was to find his little brother and bring him back home.

"Oh, my _God_." Gwen suddenly cried out. Her hands were now shaking from trepidation.

Everyone turned to look at her in concern. "What is it?" Richie hurriedly asked his older sister. He could see how affected she was due to her hands.

Gwen controlled her breathing. She took a hold of her hands and stopped them from shaking. She couldn't let her distressed emotions get the better of her again. She refused to lose it in front of her friends like she had when seeing Chase's article. Pushing down her consternation, she pointed to a specific part on the map. Glad her hands were stable enough to do so. Her voice now wavered just the slightest. "That's where they found Chase's body. After he..." She stopped talking unable to finish that sentence.

They had all turned to look at the map now. Such unexpected news hit them with a force. Bill especially. Despite the horrible realization, this just furthered the theory he had regarding _IT_.

"Do you think that..." Beverly quietly drawled on. Although she hadn't finished her question, they knew what she was truly asking. _Was IT the real reason why Chase died?_

The Tozier girl neither nodded or shook her head. She instead glanced to give Beverly an unreadable expression. "Chase's death was ruled as a suicide." She reluctantly corrected. She felt her heart break. Saying those words deeply hurt her. Even though she did not at all believe that, according to the adults in Derry (including the police), that was the truth... _but_ then again the adults in Derry (as she knows now) aren't reliable or truthful as they appear to be.

"Do you _truly_ b-b-believe that?" Bill earnestly asked her. "Because I-I don't."

Richie glanced at the map before alternating his gaze between Bill and his sister. He swiftly adjusted his glasses. "If that's true then that means..." He stopped talking when he saw how woebegone he sister now looked. It dawned on him how she was now _really_ starting to believe what Bill was suggesting. That bothered him a bit. Gwen might have believed Bill for this reason, but did _he_? Richie had to admit it made sense. As he had told Stan all that while ago, he didn't think Chase's death was a suicide. Chase killing himself just didn't make any sense. So for him to have been killed by this clown entity (as weird as it sounded), it made perfect sense... _but_ what good would it do to look into it? Now of all times. Chase was gone... _dead_. Richie could somewhat understand Bill's obsession to find Georgie (and even though deep down he knew Georgie was really gone) because technically no body was found, but unlike Georgie, Chase's body was discovered. There was a _funeral_...closure. Therefore Gwen needed to move forwards now, not backwards. From the side view, Richie could see Stan with a thoughtful expression, no doubt thinking the same thing he was.

"That the same thing that killed Chase is responsible for all the other missing kids." Mike concluded somberly interrupting Richie's and Stan's thoughts. This allowed for the bespectacled boy to gather himself once more.

" _IT_." Bill corrected firm. Not just to Mike but to the others as well. His eyes landed onto Gwen's again. His stare was soft yet resolute. "Come on, G-G-Gwen. Really think a-a-about it. Why would C-C-Chase kill himself? And on the night you t-t-two were supposed to meet up. He l-l-liked you."

Bill's words sunk in. As the seconds passed it all started to make sense to her. Chase wouldn't kill himself just like that. He wasn't suicidal...he was full of life...he was _happy_. A new question lingered in her mind. A crucial one. "If that's true, why Chase?" Gwen asked, her voice cracking with emotion she could no longer hide. "Why _him_?"

"Why take G-G-Georgie?" Bill inquired sadly.

None of them had the heart to say what they were thinking...that maybe Georgie wasn't missing...that perhaps he was _dead_. Like Chase. Bill's determined attitude with finding his little brother though had them reeling back from their brutal honesty. They couldn't hurt him...not when he was adamant with this mission he had going on.

Bill pointed to the map again, getting back on track. "Everywhere _IT_ happens, it's all connected by the sewer, and they all meet up at the _―"_

"The Well house!" Ben exclaimed interrupting Bill. He was thoroughly surprised (and glad) that his solo research finally had a connection. He felt like his research had even more meaning since it had been connected with Bill's own findings.

Stan's heart went wild in his chest (and not in a good way) when noticing where _exactly_ the Well house was at. His eyes widen as he spoke out-loud to his friends. "It's in the house on Neibolt Street."

Richie scrunched up his nose. "You mean that creepy old house where all the junkies and hobos like to sleep?"

Gwen nodded her head while Beverly gave him a verbal response. The red head shuddered as she looked at the map. "I hate that place. I always feel like it's watching me."

"I avoid that place like the damn plague." Gwen muttered. After she said this her attention was zeroed onto Eddie, who she now noticed was breathing heavily. With concerned eyes she watched him swiftly pull out the inhaler he had in his fanny pack and take a deep puff from it. That didn't falter his breathing or anxious filed expression he had on. Gwen gently put a hand on his shoulder hoping that would calm him...it didn't.

Eddie turned to look at her. His eyes full of fear. "That's where I saw it. That's where I saw the clown." He told not just Gwen, but to everyone else as well. His breathing once again all over the place. Gwen gave his shoulder another gentle squeeze, and Eddie took another puff from his inhaler.

"That's w-w-where _IT_ lives." Bill announced to his friends. Yet again, Eddie took another deep inhale. Gwen touch (as much as he was greatly appreciating) had not completely lowered his panic.

Ever the clean fanatic that he was, Stan found the idea of someone or _something_ actually living there to be ludicrous. "I can't imagine anything ever wanting to live there."

After that comment, little Eddie Kaspbrak finally _snapped_. He hurriedly got up from where he was sitting (startling Gwen from the process and resulting the gentle hold she had on him to be broken), and turned to look at all his friends. "Can we stop talking about this?" He begged standing in front of the map now. "I...I can barely breathe. This is summer! We're kids! I can barely breathe." He shouted, feeling his breathing escalate near dangerous territory. "I'm...I'm having a fucking asthma attack." He began shaking his head. "I am not doing this!"

" _Eddie_..." Gwen softly called out his name. "Calm down, please." She along with the rest of them didn't like seeing him like this. None of them wanted the smaller boy to have a full blown asthma attack.

Eddie shook his head, feeling tears pool in his eyes as he stared at Gwen. "I-I- can't!" He cried out before turning around and ripped the map off the wall.

While everyone else stared at Eddie in shock, Bill stared at him with slight anger and annoyance. "What the hell? Put the map b-b-back!"

Eddie shook his head. "Mm-mm."

Out of nowhere the projector then began going off on its own. Eddie immediately scurried back to where Gwen and Richie and Stan were at. Ben and Beverly were severely confused on what going on. While both Bill and Mike, who were behind the projector not at all touching it, stared at the slide show in bemusement and wariness. The slide show was now staring to show different pictures of the Denbrough family.

"Uh, guys?" Gwen questioned as the pictures started to go by faster. Her heart ached when she noticed how most of the picture were now of just Bill and Georgie. They both looked so happy in those photos that were being displayed. How have times changed (and not for the better). Georgie was now gone...and Bill...was anything but happy.

As this occurred, Bill continued to stay in place, his expression faltering. "G-G-Georgie..." He whispered in forlorn.

The projector then focused on one single photo. It was one that had all the Denbrough family members. The projector started to zoom in on Georgie's once smiling face before it changed direction onto Bill's mother, Sharon. In the photo her hair was covering her face, and that alone had everyone on edge.

"Bill?" Stan inquired side glancing at said friend for some sort of explanation. However, there was no explanation that could be said as to why this was even happening.

"What the hell?" Gwen whispered as she noticed how in the photo Sharon's hair started to move on it's own. They all let out horrified gasps when Bill's mother's face started to change into something else...something sinister looking.

It was the _clown_.

Gwen immediately jumped back from her seat. Her eyes wide from fear from looking at said clown again. Memories of _The_ _Tarman_ and the decomposed version of Patrick came back to haunt her. She felt her body grow cold from the maniacal smile the clown was now proudly displaying in the photo. That frightening smile...and those _yellow_ eyes...eyes that appeared to be glowing in the photo. She absently reached for her necklace...only it wasn't there. Gwen let out a sound full of fear as she decided to back further away. She stopped backing up until she was huddled between Richie and Eddie. Both boys who were beyond terrified.

"What the _fuck_ is that?! What the _fuck_ is that?!" Richie questioned severely startled at what he was (finally) seeing. Despite his questioning he knew exactly what this was now. This was _IT_...this was the clown that had been terrorizing his friends and sister. The _IT_ that was responsible for making his sister go back into her depression. With this in mind, Richie grabbed a hold of both Eddie and Gwen when he saw how equally frighten they were. He made sure Gwen was in between them in order to make sure she was safe.

"I don't fuckin' know!" Eddie answered fearfully as he leaned against Gwen for support. The smaller boy hid his face against one of her shoulders.

Beverly who was beside Ben looked at the rest of them in panic. "Turn it off!"

As she was soothing Eddie and hugging Richie from the side, Gwen alternated her gaze between Mike and Bill who were by the projector. "Kick that _shit_ down! Kick it _down_!" She frantically shouted.

Mike did exactly that. He quickly kicked the projector to the garage floor. With the projector on the ground, the slideshow was now slanted and the clown could now be seen sideways. The wicked smile the clown had on was no longer showing as the slideshow kept going on its own. The projector flickered three more times. By the third time the clown was nowhere to be seen.

None of them lowered their guard down. Eddie's head remained pressed against Gwen's shoulder as his heavy breathing continued and Richie's hold on his sister didn't lessen in the slightest.

All of sudden the lights went out again. This time they had been off longer than before. The group of friends stayed quiet with only Eddie's breathing being heard in the dark eerie garage. And just when they thought they were in the clearing the lights turned on and the most frightening thing they've all ever seen popped out in front of them.

Everyone jumped back from such sight, including Gwen, making the hold Richie and Eddie had on her lessen.

The clown had returned, only this time _ITs_ teeth were long and extra sharp. And _ITs_ body was double the size from before. _ITs_ smile was even wider and more threatening. And _ITs_ eyes...Gwen saw how they were glowing yellow and how they were staring directly at her. She let out a scream as did everyone else. The Tozier girl panicked even more when she noticed how close the clown was to Stan.

"Stanley!" Gwen shouted before running towards him. Richie and the others were yelling her name as she did so. She knew this was dangerous and a stupid thing to do, but she didn't care. She needed to get to Stan. Her mind and heart were telling her so. With his heart hammering against his chest, Stan reached out for her hand and ran alongside her to where the others where at, bumping hitting other things that were in the garage.

As Gwen and Stan were now holding each other, the Tozier girl saw how _IT's_ eyes were glowing even more. _IT_ looked furious. She could have sworn she even saw a hint of red in _ITs_ eyes, but then _IT's_ attention went onto Beverly...who was by herself leaning against the garage wall. _IT_ released a cackling laugh before _ITs_ giant form startled crawling towards the red head.

 _No...No...Not Beverly!_

With a now angered expression, Gwen carefully let go of Stan and then ran to where Beverly was at. The others once again screamed her name as she did so (Richie's being the loudest), but Gwen disregard their worry. Just like with Stan, she needed to help Beverly. She took a protective stance in front of her red haired friend just as the clown was about to grab her. She felt the faintest touch from the clown on her face when she let out the loudest yell she could muster.

 _"Get away!"_

Now Gwen didn't know if it had been because of herself (if she had on her necklace she would have noticed how warm it would had gotten due to her bravery) or because Ben had managed to get the garage door open, but any thought she had concerning that went away as soon as the light from the outside invaded the garage, making the clown disappear from their sights.

The clown was now gone and it appeared as if _IT_ hadn't been there at all.

Gwen got a hold of herself and put her hands on Beverly's shoulders. "Are you okay?" She asked her.

Beverly nodded her head. "Yeah..." She whispered before she pulled Gwen into hug. The older girl had just saved her. How she could ever repay her, Beverly had no idea. But she would be forever grateful that was for sure. " _Thank you_." She said as Gwen returned the hug.

Gwen didn't say anything back to her, just continued the hug. She knew she did the right thing with protecting Beverly, just like with Stan. When they ended their hug, Beverly went to where the others were standing, and she went to thank Ben for opening the garage door before she enveloped Bill in a hug. As they hugged, Ben watched with a dejected expression but his attention was soon averted onto Gwen. The older girl called out his name before she brought him into a hug as well. Ben was thrown back by such affection but had no problem returning the hug. When Gwen pulled back she faced the rest of her friends, and she became sheepish when she saw the expression Richie had on.

"Are you okay, Richie?" Gwen sheepishly asked her younger brother. Beside his expression, Gwen could feel the concern and anger radiating off of him.

Richie threw his hands out and scoffed. "Am I _okay_?" He repeated, exasperated. "Gwen, you were facing _IT_! The clown could have gotten _ITs_ fuckin' hands on you!"

Gwen felt terrible for making Richie feel this way, but she did what she done for a good reason. She had saved her friends. She gave Richie an apologetic expression, but she didn't apologize out-loud. "But _IT_ didn't." She nonchalantly insisted. "I'm fine."

Before Richie was able to retort something back to her, Eddie's frantic voice interrupted him. " _IT_ saw us!" He said holding his inhaler against his chest. " _IT_ knows where we are!"

" _IT_ always did." Bill said with a now steady expression. He passed his friends and went to where their bikes were at. He picked up his bike and turned to face them. "S-S-So let's go."

Ben got a confused look on his face. "Go? Go where?"

"Neibolt." Bill answered as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's where G-G-Georgie is."

Stan looked at him as if he had grown two heads. Was he for real? "After that?" He had just faced the clown and was saved by Gwen...why would he want to come face to face with _IT_ again? His life wasn't the only one he was concerned for...Gwen could have been hurt when reaching out to him...or _worse_. He shook his head, not wanting to think the worst. She was thankfully fine. If she had gotten hurt because of him, he would have never forgiven himself.

"Yeah...it's summer." Richie protested lowly. "We should be outside..."

Bill's expression harden. "If you say it's s-s-summer one more f-f-fuckin' time." He took a deep breath before he looked at Gwen. Out of all of them, the older girl looked the most persuaded to go. "G-G-Gwen?" He softly called out her name.

Gwen didn't say anything, just gave him a firm nod. Her desperate need to stay from Neibolt had gone away and all she wanted to do now was go to said old house and confront this evil entity.

Bill took her response and hopped onto his bike _Silver_ before riding off. Gwen walked away from her friends and reached for her own bike, ready to follow behind Bill. As she got on, Richie stepped forward, flabbergasted.

"Gwen, you can't be _serious_?!" He fervently asked his sister.

Gwen glanced at her younger brother. Her dark eyes filled with determination. "Richie, I have to do this. If this clown really did kill Chase and all those other missing kids, I have to _stop_ _IT_."

From beside Richie, Stan eye's became soft. "Gwen, don't go." The curly haired boy begged her. The Tozier girl averted her gaze onto him. For a brief moment there it seemed like she would give in and stay with him and the others, but then she shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She whispered before finally taking off on her bike to follow Bill's path.

 _"Gwen!"_ Richie shouted. "Come back!" When she was no longer in his sights he let out a curse. " _Fuck_."

Despite knowing the danger the Neibolt house held, the Tozier boy wasted no time getting on his own bike. The others saw this and quickly copied his actions. They weren't about to let their friends do something beyond idiotic, not after what just happened in the garage.

Richie especially wasn't about to let his sister risk her life again because of some damn eerie looking clown. Not on his watch.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _A/N:_** _Guys this chapter was a hard one to write. It affected me a lot and you guys will soon know why. Also it didn't help that I was listening to the **It Follows** movie soundtrack. It did set the eerie mood for me though!_

 **P.S.** _Sorry for any spelling errors. I'll fix them later._

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 _"We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen."_ _― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom_

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 _ **Chapter 17: The house on Neibolt Street**_

Bill had arrived at the Neibolt house first. Having been the second to leave, it didn't take long for Gwen to arrive there as well. When the Tozier girl arrived though she saw how Bill was scrutinizing the old worn out house. Gwen was quick to dump her bike to the ground and walked over to where he was standing. Being next to him now, Gwen put a comforting hand to his shoulder to catch his attention. Bill spared her glance and then gave her a nod. They then both began walking up to said house.

As they cautiously walked towards it Gwen could hear the repeated sentence Bill would often say to himself in order to help with his stuttering. Right now though Gwen thought he was saying it as a way to cope with the fear he was probably feeling from deep within.

"He thrusts his f-f-fists against the post and still insists he sees the gh-ghosts _—"_

They had barely reached the porch when the sound of oncoming bikes reached their ears. Not only that but a _very_ frantic Richie was still calling out to his sister. Gwen heard this and stopped alongside Bill.

"Bill! Gwen!" Beverly was the one trying to stop them now as she and the others threw their bikes to the ground (apart from Stan who had yet again left his standing up ), and they and stomped towards their two friends. "You guys can't go in there. This is crazy!"

Both Bill and Gwen turned to look at them but it was Bill who took the initiative to speak. He had to make them understand why he had to do this. "Look, you don't have to come in with me, but what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty? Or another Ed Corcoran? Or another kid dies like Chase? Or one of _us_?" He asked looking intently at all seven of them. "Are you just going to pretend it didn't happen like everyone else in this town? Because I _can't_." His voice wavered because of the heavy-hearted emotions he was feeling. "I go home and all I see is that Georgie isn't there. His clothes, his toys, his stupid stuffed animals, but he isn't." Tears began going down his cheeks and all seven losers wanted to comfort him, but they let him continue what was now a very powerful speech. "So walking into this house, it's easier than walking into my own." He finished saying to them before he started going up the porch steps.

All seven of them had been awed by his speech (Gwen included) that they did not notice something very important...well one of them did.

"Wow..." Richie uttered causing Gwen who was still admiring Bill's bravery from the bottom porch to look at him. The others did too.

"What?" Gwen asked him.

Richie looked her right in the eyes. His expression earnest. "He didn't stutter once."

 _Damn_.

The Tozier girl's admiration for the Denbrough boy grew more when she realized Richie was right. Bill hadn't stuttered during his speech. This made her need to go into Neibolt even more hard to ignore. Just as she was about to continue going up the porch steps her brother's hand grabbed one of her hands. Gwen turned to look at him again. She right away saw the troubled expression on his youthful face.

"You're really going to go in there...aren't you." It was more a fact than a question, but Gwen nodded her head anyways. Richie let out a sigh as he let go of her hand. "Fine." He said as he to began following her up the steps. The others saw this and most of them followed along (thanks to Bill's speech), until Stan's fear took over.

"Wait!" The curly haired boy blurted out causing everyone to glance at him. Stan instantly became sheepish from all of their attention. Gwen's more so than the others. He managed to overlook said bashfulness and stood his ground. "Um, shouldn't we have some people keep watch? Just in case something bad happens?"

Bill's gaze wandered around his friends as he held onto the doorknob to Neibolt. "Who w-w-wants to stay?" He asked, stuttering again.

Everyone in the group aside from Gwen and Beverly put their hands up. It was a long shot but Richie and Stan had hoped Gwen's hand would have magically gone up...but it hadn't. The dark haired girl was still ever determined to step foot inside Neibolt. Stan lowered his eyes to this. He really did not want Gwen going in there but he couldn't find the courage not to tell her to do so. Not like he had done at Bill's garage. Standing in front of the Neibolt house took away any sense of bravery he had.

Richie however made his displeasure known. "Fuck." He muttered before looking at his sister again. The neutral expression she had on somewhat made the nerves he was feeling go away.

* * *

The old wooden door to the Neibolt house slowly creaked open as Bill pushed at it. He was in the front, walking forward further into the house. Behind the Denbrough boy was Richie, Gwen, and then finally Eddie. Each of them were looking around the inside with curiosity and caution.

Daylight from the cracked windows and the now opened door invaded the worn out abandoned house. This allowed Gwen to see the state the inside was in. She knew the house wouldn't have been in the best shape but now that she was inside she saw how the entire place was covered in cobwebs. From side glance she could see the repulsed expression Eddie had on from observing said surroundings. She scrunched up her face, quietly agreeing with him. It was absolutely filthy inside.

"I can't believe I pulled the short straw." Richie grumbled as he made sure Gwen and Eddie were still behind him. He relaxed a little from looking at sister and friend. The fear was still there causing him to blurt out a facetious comment. "You guys are lucky we're not measuring dicks." Gwen gave him a light tap to the shoulder at saying this.

"Shut up, Richie." Eddie halfheartedly replied as he kept walking behind Gwen. He continued to gaze around the house in wariness. He gagged when he took a deep breath, the air of the house grossing him out. "I can smell it." He complained to his friends.

"Don't breathe through your mouth." Richie informed his smaller friend.

"How come?" Eddie questioned.

Richie's reply was firm. "Because then you're eating it."

The group of four suddenly came to a stop in the middle of the what they guessed was the living room. Eddie used this opportunity to reach into his fanny pack and he pulled out his inhaler. He let out a gag as he thought about what Richie said before taking a puff from his inhaler. Gwen saw how distressed the smaller boy was and she rubbed his back to comfort him. Eddie greatly appreciated her doing that and once he was able to compose himself he threw her a thankful look as he put his inhaler away.

Gwen had been too focused on calming down Eddie, that she didn't notice how her brother had walked off towards the other side of the room. There near one of the windows in the cobwebs was a piece of paper. Before stepping in this crackhead of a house, Richie had told himself not to wander off on his own, but for some reason his attention was strangely drawn to it. Like a moth to a light. He reached for said paper and once he saw what exactly it was a horrified expression crossed his face.

"R-R-Richie?" Bill's voice rang out.

This caused for both Gwen and Eddie to finally glance towards the other side of the room. They saw the expression Richie had on and how he was staring intently at the piece of paper he had in his hands. The three friends quickly walked to where the bespectacled boy was standing at.

"What is that?" Gwen anxiously asked her younger brother.

Richie's hands began to shake a little as he showed her the paper. Gwen's eyes widen when she saw that the piece of paper was indeed another missing poster...but what got to her was that it had _Richie's_ face plastered on it.

Richie felt tears in his eyes at he met his sister's gaze. "It says I'm missing."

"Yo-Yo-You're not missing, Richie." Bill assured his bespectacled friend.

Richie vehemently shook his head as gripped the poster with a tighter hold. "Police Department, city of Derry." He looked back down at the poster. "That's my shirt. That's my hair. That's my face." He began to panic more and more as he continued to list what he saw. "That's my name!"

Bill and Eddie tried calming Richie down, but it was to no avail. Their friend who was usually lighthearted was now the most panicked they have ever seen him be. Tears were now freely going down his cheeks. His vision becoming blurry. "No, it says it! What the fuck? Am I going to go missing?!" Richie didn't want to go missing. He didn't want to be like all the other missing kids in Derry. He didn't want to be forgotten. Not by his friends, and certainly not by Gwen. The thought of his sister forgetting him because he disappeared made him become more frantic.

"Richie!" Gwen pleaded but her younger brother continued crying. She called out his name again as she gingerly took a hold of his face. "Richie, look at me!" She raised her voice and that got Richie to stop his panicking momentarily. He was still breathing heavily and she felt his tears on her hands. She looked him right in the eyes, gaze ever soothing. "You're not missing and you're not going to go missing." She earnestly informed him. "None of us are. I can _promise_ you that." She took a hold of one his pinkies with her own. " _Pinkie promise._ "

That got Richie to finally calm down. Tears still went down his face but it wasn't because he was panicking. No, it was because of the promise Gwen had just made. Sure she had made pinkie promises before, but this one was _different_. Richie knew she meant it with all her heart. He nodded his head and Bill and Eddie watched with relief as he embraced Gwen in a hug.

Gwen soothed her brother once more as she rubbed his back with one of her hands and the other went through his dark locks. "If we stick together we'll be okay..." She whispered to Richie, but Bill and Eddie heard her. Bill especially took those words into thought. "And this..." She said pulling back from the hug. She took the missing poster from Richie. "This is _bullshit_." She ripped said poster and threw the remains in the air."See? It's not real, okay? It's just a piece of paper that's fuckin' confetti now."

Bill put a hand on Richie's shoulder. " _IT_ is just playing tricks on you." He informed him. It finally dawned on Bill that this was in fact the first time Richie has experienced _IT_. Yes, he had seen _IT_ at his garage, but this was the first time _IT_ had solely targeted Richie with one of _ITs_ illusions. Bill was glad Gwen was there to sooth Richie. He however sincerely hoped that Richie wouldn't have to experience another scare while they were in the house.

Richie lifted his glasses to rub his eyes and then wiped away at his cheeks. Having composure now he felt embarrassed and even a little angry for losing his cool. He of course blamed that damn clown. He hated to admit that _IT_ had gotten to him. Now he knew exactly how Gwen the others felt when they were victimized by said clown. Despite his all over emotions, he didn't pull away when Gwen took a hold of his hand. Her touch made him feel less troubled with the situation they were in.

The Tozier boy was about to say something back to his sister, when a cry for help filled the air. The four of them were deeply startled. Eddie who had been quiet, huddled closer to Richie and Gwen, and Bill looked up the staircase. Gaze becoming hard with resolute.

 _"Help me, please!"_

There it was again. This time they were able to tell it was a young girl's voice.

Bill was the first to follow said voice up the staircase and Eddie came out from behind Gwen and Richie to slowly walk after the Denbrough boy. Just as Gwen and Richie were about to follow too, Gwen gave Richie a look.

"Whatever happens, don't let go."

Richie squeezed her hand and nodded his head. He wasn't about to let go any time soon.

They then went up the staircase...anxious to see what waited for them upstairs.

* * *

It didn't take long for the four friends to make it to the second floor of the Neibolt house. Bill being the one who was still taking the lead, followed by Richie and Gwen, and then Eddie who had decided to linger back since climbing up the stairs. Each step making the smaller boy more and more uneasy. As they turned the corner they all heard a whimper. All of their eyes became wide with shock when they saw a girl on the floor. Gwen along with the others soon realized who this girl was. It was Betty Ripsom. How could they not recognize her? Missing posters of her had been plastered all over town.

Eddie's breathing once again began to get out of control. Richie's hold on Gwen's hand tighten as he tried to grasp what the hell was happening right now. Bill took in her helpless form and his heartbeat went rapid.

"B-B-Betty?" Bill timidly called out her name. He wanted to go up and help the poor girl but something in him hesitated in doing so.

"Ripsom?" Richie shakily asked.

Betty gave them one last pleading look before she was dragged away. Her scream made Gwen jump in place resulting in Richie doing the same thing. Eddie once again took shelter behind Gwen and Richie. Bill however was the first to actually take action. Not taking his eyes away from the room Betty was in he hurriedly made his way over. Despite how spooked they were, Richie and Gwen followed behind Bill. Neither three of them had noticed the eerie voice calling out Eddie's name _―_ resulting in the smaller boy staying back.

Bill had stepped into the room and so had Richie, but just as Gwen was about to make her way inside, she came to a sudden halt. She was still holding onto Richie's hand but for some reason she couldn't step inside the room. It was like something, a force field of some sorts was preventing her from doing so. She tried walking in again and let out a huff when she was rejected like before. Richie and Bill took notice to this. Their curiousness for Betty Ripsom was put on hold as they turned their attention onto Gwen.

And it was this commotion that had Eddie focusing back on track. He looked over to where the three of them were at. He saw how Richie was trying to pull Gwen in but said girl wouldn't budge. By now even Bill was pulling on Richie who was in return still trying to bring Gwen inside. When Bill's extra strength made no difference the bespectacled boy looked at his sister with bemusement.

"Gwen, come on. What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything." Gwen exclaimed. She sounded panicked now. She tried stepping inside the room but this time she jumped in place almost like she had been tossed back. Even though she hadn't, it sure felt she had. The hold on her brothers hand was still there. Richie was too stubborn to let go. Gwen gave Richie and Bill a urgent look. "I can't go through. _Something_ is not letting me go through."

"No,no,no." Richie began repeating. He looked over at Eddie, desperate. The bespectacled boy was too focused on his sister to question why he had been lingering back. "Eddie, try pushing her in." He asked for his smaller friend's help.

Eddie managed to compose himself enough to walk over to where Gwen was standing by the entrance of the room. He put his hands against her back and began pushing her, but she didn't budge. His face turned slightly red as he continued his actions. "Guys, I'm trying."

"Well try harder!" Richie shouted as he pulled Gwen's hand as Eddie was pushing her. Yet again, she did not enter the room. He stopped his pulling but squeezed her hand. " _Gwen_." He said in a soft worried tone.

Gwen was about to say something back, when all of a sudden her hand started to hurt. It felt like it was being _crushed_. Richie's too. He grimaced at the unexpected pain but he didn't let go of his sister's hand. He hoped she wouldn't either. He looked at her, eyes pleading."Gwen don't let go. _Please_ don't let go."

By now Eddie's pushing had stopped. He stepped back and this allowed him to see how much pain the Tozier siblings were in based on their expressions. Richie however was determined to not let go as was Gwen...that was until she let out a yell.

" _Fuck_!" Gwen said in agony. _That fuckin' hurt._ She had been able to handle the pressure that was on her hand before, but then all of a sudden it felt like her hand was being crushed to the _bone_. She couldn't take it anymore. The dark haired girl felt terrible for doing so, but everything in her was saying let go...so she let go of her brother's hand. Once she wasn't holding onto Richie, the pain that was there went away. She looked at her hand in disbelief before gazing up towards her brother. His expression was broken from no longer holding hands.

Before she was even able to say anything to her brother, the door to the bedroom slammed shut. This ultimately separated Gwen and Eddie from Richie and Bill Immediately Richie began pounding on the door. He tried to get it open as did Bill, but the door wouldn't open an inch. And just as Gwen was about to reach for the doorknob, the dark haired girl was pushed back a few feet by an unseen force onto the ground. She let out a " _oof_ " sound from the unexpected blow.

"Gwen!" Eddie shouted in alarm. He was about to make his way towards her, but she held up a hand.

"I'm alright. Don't _―"_

Gwen, however, didn't get to finish that sentence. The Tozier girl was once again pushed onto the floor. The back of her head hit the ground, creating a loud _thud_ noise. Her face grimaced in pain and her eyes widen by what happened next. Eddie shouted in panic again just as she was starting to get dragged away by whatever invisible entity that was hurting her. Eddie tried reaching for her but stumbled back when Gwen passed by his feet. He shuddered as her screams were echoing off the house's walls. She didn't stop screaming until she was dragged into the room that was across from them. The back of her head hit the wall hard, making her eyes flutter until they closed. Her head then lolled to the side.

Eddie became more frantic. "Gwen!" Her unconscious form raised the smaller boy's hysteria. As he hurriedly made his way towards her, Richie's and Bill's shouting could be heard from the other side of the door. Richie's being the most loudest.

 _"Gwen?! Eddie?!_ _What the hell is going on?!"_

 _"Are you guys okay?!"_

 _"Say something!"_

Eddie was too preoccupied in reaching Gwen that he didn't answer back to any of Richie's and Bill's questions. Unfortunately just before he was about to go into the room she was unconscious in, the door to that room slammed in his face.

"No, Gwen!" Eddie began pounding and kicking at the door. He hoped Gwen would have woken up by the noise he was making, but it seemed she was still passed out in the room. Desperate to help her, Eddie ran back to the other door where Richie and Bill where behind, inwardly praying that he would get that door open unlike with Gwen's. "Guys!" He called out just a few seconds before he came to a sudden stop. To his shock the space that was between him and the door, started to deteriorate. With fearful eyes he watched as the floorboards fell to the ground. Such scene caused for his breathing to go all over the place. He was about to turn back and run to the other door when he felt something touch his shoulder.

Eddie slowly looked to the side and he let out a gasp at what he saw. It was the Leper...and the Leper was touching _his_ shoulder.

 _"Time to take your pill, Eddie."_

Despite how much he wanted to scream, Eddie could not find his voice. The fear and realization of the Leper touching him instead had him feeling lightheaded. With one last look at the Leper, Eddie felt his eyes close before he fell through the hole to the first story of the house. He landed onto what he guessed was a table. Dust went everywhere as his small body collided with such object. He let out a low whimper when he heard his wrist watch go off alarming him that it was time to take his medicine. However the fall from upstairs to downstairs had been too much and just like Gwen, Eddie too passed out.

* * *

The first thought that came to Gwen when she regained consciousness was that her head hurt. It hurt really _fuckin_ ' bad. The second was her remembering how she was dragged around like a rag doll. Damn _IT_. With a groan, Gwen began to slowly open her eyes. After recovering from her blurry vision, she noticed how dark the room was. She used the wall to support herself as she stood up again. Her stance was off-balance due to hitting the back her head.

 _Speaking of her head..._

Gwen used one of her hands to feel the back of her head. Her eyes widen when she felt something wet on her fingers. She brought her hand to the front and despite it being dark she knew exactly what that wet substance was. It was blood. She was _bleeding_. Gwen let out a low gasp. She needed to get the hell out of there. She needed to get to Richie and the others. As she stumbled to get to the door the lights to the room started flickering, startling her in the process. She composed herself as she finally got a better view of the room she was in. She bemused by such sight.

There were mirrors _everywhere_. There were so many it looked like a freakin' house of mirrors. Those fun ones carnivals would have. But Gwen knew there wasn't anything remotely fun going on right now. She pondered. Had there been mirrors when she first woke up? No...there hadn't been...right? Gwen honestly had no idea anymore.

Focusing on the bigger picture, Gwen resumed making her way to the door. Once facing it she tried opening the door. Not much to her surprise the door wouldn't open. Out of patience Gwen started kicking and pounding on the door.

"Richie! Bill! Eddie!" Gwen shouted. She knew Richie and Bill had been in the other room, but maybe they got out? As for Eddie the last time Gwen saw him he had been out in the hall with her. He still had to be out there... _right_? Her panic-stricken shouting didn't cease "You guys I'm in here! Open the door please!"

Before she even physically felt _IT_ , Gwen knew _IT_ was behind her. The entity always gave off a _ominous_ vibe. So she knew right then and there that this presence was none other than _IT_. She didn't even have to look at _IT_ to know _IT_ was in the clown form she and her friends had seen. _Pennywise_. That's what got her to stop her feverish movements. But before she was even able to act out and fight the clown, Gwen was suddenly pushed onto the closed door. Her face hit the door first and then her head was turned to the side. _IT_ kept her head pushed down and she let out a cry as _ITs_ nose pressed against the back of her head. Right where she was bleeding from. She felt absolutely disgusted when she heard a growl of contentment.

 _"So sweet and pretty." IT_ nuzzled more against her injury. One of _ITs_ hands was running through her tangled locks, almost as if _IT_ was petting her. The blood from her head injury was calling out to the entity. _IT_ had been desperate to get a sniff of her delicious blood, and now the moment was finally here. _IT_ took another whiff and _ITs_ yellow eyes glowed even brighter. _"Yes, so so so sweet."_ A maniacal laugh filled the air. _"You're such a nice girl. I bet you have a lot of friends."_ The laughing stopped and instead a ardor like growl now replaced the sound from before. _"Well not anymore. I'm your only friend now." ITs_ voice was now low with anger and the petting had stopped. _"You don't need the others. And you certainly don't need_ him _."_

Gwen assumed _him_ was her brother Richie. However that wasn't the the entire case. Except it wouldn't be until the fight in the sewers that she would know who exactly _IT_ meant by _him._ For now though she thought him was Richie, and that gave her enough boldness to finally take action. With a yell she found her strength to escape the hold _IT_ had on her and she pushed _IT_ back away from her.

 _IT_ let out a growl of displeasure. The entity was angered that she had fought back right when _IT_ was about to finally get a taste of her. _IT_ knew though that not all that strength was from her but from somewhere else. The damn Turtle. She however wasn't wearing the necklace, and the entity knew this because _IT_ had taken care of that problem. So _IT_ was going to use that to _ITs_ advantage...oh yes _IT_ would.

When Gwen turned around ready to fight, she was startled to come face to face not with a clown, but with a mirror instead. Although she didn't see the clown (too focused on her reflection), Gwen still heard _ITs_ voice.

 _"Look in the mirror. I bet you can't name the reflection you see. Come on take a wild guess!"_

Everything became muddled.

She looked into the mirror and the reflection she saw was not one she knew. Just who was that girl staring in the mirror? She had long wavy brown hair and dark eyes to match. She was average height and by standards she looked to be pretty... _if_ one would even consider her looks to be pretty. The longer the reflection remained the stronger the feelings of dismay and forlorn grew from within. The taunting she kept hearing was just adding to her panic.

 _"You see you can't! Hehe, because you're nothing! Your brain is turning into mush and you're losing your memories!_ _Nah nah nah!_ _"_

 _Suddenly_ , as if she had been slapped to the face, she _knew_...that reflection belonged to her! But how could Gwen have forgotten who she was? That was impossible!

 _No! No! No!_

Her stomach then twisted in somber realization. _IT_ explored one of her biggest fears _―_ the loss of one-self. Mnemophobia. Yes, the _Tarman_ and the decomposed version of Patrick _scared_ her, but not recognizing herself? Now that really _pushed_ her over the edge.

 _IT_ for a brief moment made her completely confounded by her own reflection. She had no idea that the person in the mirror was her. She had no recognition whatsoever. And although this muddled state didn't last long, it was enough for her to be consumed by absolute fear.

 _IT_ now knew all of her fears, and _IT_ was using the worst one against her. Just imagining everything and _everyone_ she's ever know gone from her memory...her losing who she is one the inside... having no memories whatsoever. Now that _terrified_ Gwen.

She felt like crying. Actually...she was _crying_. Her crying though became more out of anger than sadness when she continued to hear _IT_ taunting her. She couldn't take it anymore. She _lost_ it.

"Shut up!" Gwen screamed as she pulled at her hair. Her bleeding injury was long disregarded as she tried getting _ITs_ voice out of her head. "Shut up!" She cried out closing her eyes tightly. "Get out of my head!"

Another round of laughter erupted. _"I'm not in your head, silly."_ The laughter stopped and _ITs_ voice became even toned. _"I'm right here."_

That had Gwen's eyes snap open again. She expected to see the clown in the mirror, but _IT_ wasn't what she saw. The _person_ she saw in the mirror had her heart aching.

It was _Chase_...but she noticed that he wasn't his happy self. No...he had on a blank expression, and his eyes weren't the bright blue color she had liked with all her heart. They were dull and full of misery. What really got to Gwen though were the slash marks on both of his wrists...and the blood seeping from them.

"Ch-Ch-Chase." Gwen stammered out. Tears flowed down her cheeks from looking at and talking to her deceased crush. It hurt more than she wanted to admit to herself.

 _"Why did you do this to me, Gwen?"_ Chase finally spoke. His expression was still blank but his tone of voice held various emotions. Anger being the most obvious. _"It's your fault I'm dead."_

 _Hers?_ This wounded Gwen and her heart broke more. "Mine?" She shakily asked.

 _"If I had never liked you none of this would have happened."_ Chase harshly told her. _"It's all your fault!"_

"No, please don't say that!" Gwen cried out. "I never wanted you to die!"

 _"Well I am! And it's all your fault!"_ Chase shouted more angry. He kept repeating that over and over again until Gwen noticed how his reflection was slowly starting to form into the clown.

 _Pennywise_.

It was now the clown who kept repeating that sentence to her. Only _IT_ was speaking far more amused.

Gwen's crying faltered as she glared at the clown's reflection. "You killed him! You killed Chase!" _Bill had been right_. She should have known from the beginning. She should have listened to her gut instinct. Chase's death was _not_ a suicide. He had been killed...because of _IT_. But why? Why would _IT_ kill him and make it look like a suicide?

As she thought this the clown's smile widen _. "Why yes I did! And it was so much fun watching his blood go drip, drip, drip!"_

That comment _pissed_ off Gwen more than she already was. "Why?!" She found herself asking the entity. "Why did you kill him?"

The clown's smile fell and _ITs_ eyes glowed their infamous yellow color. _"Because he more than_ liked _you." IT_ furiously spit out.

 _Chase more than liked her?_ What did that mean? Did Chase _love_ her? Gwen found herself in a whirl of emotions at that thought. _God_...if Chase really did love her...and he got killed because of his feelings for her...then it really was her fault (in her mind she thought so). Suddenly her hurt facial features twisted into rage. She stared _IT_ in the eyes as she lifted up one of her legs. _"Fuck you!"_ She shouted before kicking the mirror making it crash onto the floor. She knew this wouldn't kill _IT_ but in her anger of losing Chase, that's what she found herself doing.

With cautious steps she walked over the broken glass. It had been one mirror out of the dozen that were in the room, but Gwen felt a little bit better now that it was destroyed. However any sense of content went away when she heard that very familiar laughter again. Eyes widening, she backed up when _IT_ appeared in front of her.

The bells on the clown suit jingled as _IT_ took playful steps towards her (to Gwen it was anything but playful). _IT_ stopped following her when Gwen backed up against another mirror. _IT_ smiled a toothy smile at how frighten and anxious she now appeared to be. The smell of her blood was strong, and her blood smelled even more delicious mixed with her fear. Except instead of pouncing on her (like _IT_ wanted to), _IT_ let out another spine-chilling laugh.

 _"That wasn't very nice. A broken mirror is seven years worth of bad luck."_

Gwen opened her mouth ready to snap at the entity, when the ground beneath her caved in and she fell with a scream.

Pennywise's laughter rang in her ears all the way down until she landed hard on the ground. And once again for the second time that day, Gwen found herself becoming unconscious.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** Guys! I finally updated! I am sorry for the huge gap, but I finished my finales for school and I was stressing a lot. Honestly, I had so much school work to do. Ugh. Anyways, I am now on my winter break and I will be using this time to continue writing this story. We're nearly reaching the end and as much as I am excited to finish, I am also sad. This story has left a impact on me and I am happy that you guys are still interested in the story. You guys are what motivate me to write! Anyways, this chapter is going to be like a roller-coaster. The next chapter is going to be more of a __heart-breaker. More so because of Gwen and Richie. So be prepared. Anyways, have fun (or not really) reading this chapter._

 ** _P.S._** _The first chapter which is the prologue for the **Stranger Things/IT** crossover is up. The story is called **Dimensions Of The Heart.** Go check it out if you haven't yet. Also, sorry for any spelling errors in this chapter. It's two in the morning. I'll try to correct them later. _

* * *

_"If you don't know learn how to be scared, you'll never really learn how to be brave."_ _― Simon Holt, The Devouring_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 18: The first downfall**_

As Gwen Tozier took a harsh unexpected fall back to the first floor of the Neibolt house, Richie and Bill (who were completely unaware of her and Eddie's passed out state) were still persistent with trying to get their door to open. Bill was swiftly turning the door knob while Richie kept hitting and pushing on the door. The youngest Tozier did this action as he desperately called out for his best friend and older sister.

 _"Eddie! Gwen! Open the door! Are you guys okay?!"_

No answer. Not from Eddie or Gwen.

Their lack of a response just made both Richie and Bill even more anxious. The two boys gave each other quick distressed looks before their battle to open the door increased. However, since the door knob wasn't functioning for whatever reason, Bill moved onto calling out to his friends as he began to loudly pounded on the door. The Denbrough boy had been to focused on calling out his friends name (hoping to hear from them) that he completely missed how Richie caught sight of another open door leading into a whole different room.

One second Richie had been vehemently calling out for Gwen and Eddie and then the next second his attention averted to the room that was across from Bill and him. The room was dark but from where he was standing Richie could still see what he assumed was old furniture covered by sheets. Seeing how it was something as ordinary and unhelpful as furniture, Richie was ready to focus on the important task of getting to Gwen and Eddie. However, just as he about to call out to his friends again, a familiar voice filled his ears.

 _"Hey, Richie!"_

Recognizing that voice to be Eddie's, Richie was quick to turn back around. His eyes behind his glasses narrowed as he walked closer to the room. "Eddie?" He questioned, bemused. He almost expected there to be no answer, but then in the dark further into the room he saw Gwen and Eddie peek from behind one of the sheets.

 _"We're over here!"_

Hearing his sister's voice along with Eddie's made Richie forget about the dangers of splitting up from Bill. All he could think about now was getting to his friend and his older sister. He needed to know that they were okay. Unfortunately for him he could no longer see them. "Gwen? Eddie? What the fuck are you guys doing in here?" Richie asked as he finally stepped into the dark room. When they didn't show themselves to him again, Richie started to get a bad feeling in his stomach. He however made his next response more sharp than nerve-wracking. "Just come out. Now is not the time to play hide and seek."

It was at that moment that Bill finally realized that Richie was no longer standing next to him. With a confused expression, Bill stopped his actions to walk near the entrance of the other room. When he saw that Richie was inside the room, Bill got a awful feeling in his stomach.

"R-R-Richie?" He nervously called out his name.

When Richie heard Bill call out his name, it felt like cold water had been splashed onto his face. Richie now knew. He knew that neither Gwen or Eddie where in that damn room. It had been a trap. Not wanting to stay another second in that room, Richie began making his way out. Except just as he was about to reach the entrance and Bill, the door slammed shut between them.

Once again just like before, Richie and Bill both began trying their best to open the door. Richie was on the verge of a panic attack and he wasn't calming down like last time. Gwen wasn't there to help ease his distress. In fact he now had no fuckin' idea where his sister or Eddie were at. That had him panicking even more. He needed to get out. He needed to get the fuck out right about now.

"Bill, open the door!" Richie frighteningly shouted.

From the other side of the shut door, Bill was trying his hardest to get it open. Much like the other door, it wouldn't even open a crack. Bill then out of nowhere got the logical thought that maybe the door was locked from the inside or something. The door had shut on its own, but maybe, just maybe, only Richie was the only one able to get the door open. That is if he was able to get a hold of himself. Going with this thought, Bill steadied his voice. "Richie, calm down! Try opening the door again." He informed his friend. Bill had been too focused on calming down his bespectacled friend that he didn't even notice his stutter was gone for the moment.

Not at all understanding Bill's sudden logic, Richie hadn't calmed down in the slightest. "I can't get it open!" After he said this the lights in the room turned on. The lights though did nothing to brighten up the room. The lightening was dim and the lights kept flickering on and off. Suddenly, Richie stopped his actions and slowly looked over his shoulder. As he did this the sheets that surrounded the room fell off from what they were covering. Richie's eyes were then filled with absolute fear by what he saw.

It wasn't furniture that was behind those sheets. No, there were clowns statues. And there was a whole shit load of them. "Oh, shit." He breathed as his gaze anxiously went from clown statue to clown statue. When he looked back to where the door was at he saw a short clown statue standing in front of him. Unable to hold in his composure anymore, Richie let out a loud scream. He could practically feel his heart hammering against his chest as he backed away from that ugly short clown statue.

As he backed away, Richie soon came face to face with another clown statue. This was one was much taller than the one by the door. He stomach was in knots as he looked at it. He wanted nothing more than to run away, but something within him told him not to. Richie instead out of bravery or maybe even foolishness, raised one of his hands towards the tall clown statue. He then tapped the clown statue. The youngest Tozier waited a few seconds to see what would happen and was left pleasantly surprised at the lack of a reaction from the statue. A sigh of relief escaped him. "Stupid clowns."

That relief feeling he was experiencing soon came to an end when he heard another sheet falling. As Richie turned around he saw that the sheet had uncovered a coffin. Richie was unnerved to notice that the coffin was right around his size. His heart beat picked up pace again when the top of the coffin lifted open. "Oh, fuck." He uttered in dread. What got to him even more was how on the inside of the coffin there was the missing poster with his photo and big letters the word _FOUND_ was spelled out.

As Richie warily walked towards the coffin he failed to notice how one of the clown statues had slowly turned to look at him. When he finally reached the coffin he looked inside. There was a sheet covering something else inside the coffin. Ever curious (and frighten), Richie, without giving it a second thought, pulled the sheet. Once the sheet was gone he saw that there laying in the coffin was a small ventriloquist doll version of himself. The doll face was cracked and there was maggots inside.

Now instead of being scared, Richie was just grossed out. He scrunched up his face in disgust. "Ugh." Not wanting to look at the doll version of himself, he closed the coffin again. Just as he closed the coffin though, Richie was severely startled when the coffin opened again. Richie let out a scream when he saw _IT_ jump out of the coffin.

Richie's eyes were wide and he felt goosebumps all over his arms as he took in the clown form _IT_ was taking.

Pennywise.

The youngest Tozier's mouth was wide open but no words were able to come on out. He grew even more scared when _ITs_ smile expanded. That smile on the clown's face was anything but friendly and then there were those eyes. Those yellow eyes Gwen had told him she hated were looking right into his dark brown ones. It felt like a eternity of Richie just staring at the clown before anything was said. By the looks of it though the evil entity was clearly enjoying Richie's fear and discomfort.

 _"What's the matter,_ _bucko?"_ _IT_ asked in a disdainful way. _"_ _Have nothing to say? That's a first!"_ A round of ominous laughter filled the room before _IT_ grew dead serious. _ITs_ yellow eyes glowed menacingly, making Richie's blood run cold. His thoughts immediately went to Gwen (hoping to God she was alright) and as soon as he thought about her he saw _ITs_ eyes glow again.

 _"I'm gonna get your sister, Richie!"_ The clown chortled. _ITs_ smile now was wicked with horrid promises and Richie was beyond terrified. _"She'll soon be with me and she'll float!"_ Sharp teeth could be seen by Richie as the clown bellowed for a second there. _"Oh you bet your bottom dollar she will! Just like the rest of you will too!"_

Hearing _IT_ say that about Gwen, finally made Richie find his voice. "No!" The youngest Tozier shouted frantically. _No, not my sister! Please, God not Gwen!_

 _"Beep beep, Richie!"_ The clown ruthlessly laughed before flashing _ITs_ sharp teeth and leaping towards him.

Even though he knew the door was locked, Richie told himself that it would be unlocked this time. The youngest Tozier basically hoped it would be. And to his surprise (and relief) this time the door did open. Bill was quick to pull Richie out of the room before shutting the door right on _ITs_ terrorizing face.

Now that he was with Bill again, Richie took deep breaths. The bespectacled boy was trying his hardest to get himself in check. As he was finding out though that was proving to be quite a challenge. _IT_ had shamelessly used the affectionate saying that Gwen would say to him _"Beep beep, Richie"_ and that bothered him. Only Gwen was able to say that to Richie. Richie would even let his other friends say that to him, but certainly not some evil entity that can take a creepy clown form. No...Richie did not want to hear that demented looking clown say that to him. Not ever again.

Richie jumped a bit when he felt Bill put a hand on his shoulder. Despite wanting to shake off his uneasiness, Richie was clearly still heavily disturbed by what he had just experienced with _IT,_ and by what _IT_ had said to him regarding Gwen. At that moment, Richie shook his head making a inward decision.

 _I can't let that clown get my sister. I won't let that happen._

"We've got to get out of h-h-here." Bill told him as he let go of his shoulder.

That pulled Richie out of his protective thoughts. Just as he was about to bring up finding Gwen and Eddie to Bill, their attention was caught from _another_ room that was across from them. This room had no door and there in the middle was an old mattress. What had both boys looking at said mattress with trepidation was they saw what looked like something was trying to force their way through the middle of it.

Adding more to their shock something or better yet _someone_ did burst through the mattress.

 _Eddie._

Despite Eddie's head popping out from the mattress, Bill and Richie knew that wasn't the real Eddie. No this _thing_ looked like a demonic version of their small friend. Honestly it reminded Richie of one of the demons from the movie _The Evil Dead_. Eddie's skin was a grayish color and his eyes were hooded. Although telling themselves that this wasn't really Eddie, Bill and Richie were still left speechless.

 _"You wanna play, loogie?" Eddie_ asked them before he started vomiting what looked like to be dark oil. As the the liquid left his mouth it started to go all over the floor. Bill and Richie looked at the scene with such fear and disgust as _Eddie_ let out a maniacal laugh. As the laughing got louder his head started to shake but before Bill and Richie could gain a coherent thought, _Eddie sunk_ back into the mattress.

Although this demonic version of Eddie was gone, the black oil gunk he had vomited out was still there...and the gunk was making its way towards Bill and Richie.

* * *

 ** _...Meanwhile..._**

Back on the first floor, with a sharp intake of breath, Eddie's eyes flashed wide open. He felt something was off with his whole body but it wasn't until he sat up that he noticed the injury he had. His right arm was _broken_. He let out a small whimper of pain when he touched it. The pain should have reminded him of the Leper and how _IT_ had touched him...but no. Eddie's first thoughts were of his mother and they weren't necessarily good.

God, his mother was going to _freak_ out when she saw him in this disorderly condition. He could kiss his freedom for the rest of the summer goodbye, as well as being around his friends. Eddie could already imagine himself spending the rest of the summer in the emergency room. This was not good. Not at all. He was so worried about his own mother's reaction that he failed to notice Gwen passed out a few feet away from him. That is until he heard a low groan. Breaking away from his mother's future worry, Eddie's turned his head towards where he heard that noise.

The small boy was at first afraid because reality had finally set in. He was inside Neibolt, separated from his friend and he had a broken arm. He was utterly defenseless but by the sounds of it he wasn't alone. He hoped to God the Leper wasn't there with him. Eddie, however, was immediately relieved when he saw it was Gwen. His relief was forgotten when he saw the awful condition she was in. She was laying on the ground (semi-passed out _―_ he assumed) and her face was facing the dirty dusty floors of the Neibolt house. Besides the fact that she was covered in heavy amounts of dust, what had him even more panicked was the head injury he was able to see. Gwen was bleeding from her head.

Eddie immediately went into his worried medical nonsense mode. Yes, he himself was injured, but so was Gwen. His broken arm injury was thrown to the side as he gazed at the older girl with soft concern. He tried to move but his damn arm made him stop. That wasn't going to stop him from checking on her well-being. He _needed_ to make sure she was alright.

"Gwen! Can you hear me?" Eddie yelled out. In response all he heard was another muffled groan. That was better than nothing he supposed. His voice shook a bit when he continued his mission to get a response out of her. "Gwen you have to fully wake up. I think you might have a concussion. Please, wake up!" This time he heard her say something to what he believed was his name.

Delirious, Gwen picked up her face from the floor to look his way. "Eddie?" She questioned, puzzled. Where the hell was she? The last thing she remembered was being upstairs and... _IT_. Her eyes widen at that and she sprung up into a sitting position. That proved to be a bad move because the back of her head hurt like a son of a bitch. She saw a few black dots in her vision before she was able to get a clear sight. Despite having somewhat better vision she was still in pain. She let out a painful yelp as the pain from her head increased and she went to touch where the pain was coming from.

"Don't touch the back of your head!" Eddie was quick to tell her. "You're bleeding pretty badly. I think you might have a concussion."

Shit. She probably did have a concussion. Fuckin' great. Gwen huffed as she tried to stand u,p but that fall from upstairs to downstairs got her good. She didn't even last five seconds before knelt down on the floor again. Her breathing was coming out in short pants as her vision once again got black dots. Her eyes wanted to close again and she was almost giving into doing that, but Eddie's voice rang in her ears.

"Gwen, stay awake!"

The Tozier girl turned her head to look at him. "I'm trying to it's just _―_ _Oh my God!"_ Gwen blurted out once she saw the horrible condition the young boy was in. How could he be fretting over her when he himself was just as injured. "Eddie your arm!" She gazed at his broken arm in concern.

Eddie however dismissed any concern she was throwing his way and instead informed her more about her own injury. "Gwen, a concussion is a serious traumatic brain injury! It can affect your brain function." He nervously rambled to her. "I mean, the effects are usually temporary but they can include headaches, balance and coordination."

Gwen gave the small boy a look of disbelief. Was he really rambling at a time like this?! "Eddie..." She softly called out his name but he just kept talking. She let out a huff of air. "I can't believe me of all people is about to say this..." She said to herself before raising her voice at him. "Eddie! You really need to stop rambling."

That got Eddie to stop with the medical talk. The small boy felt his face heat up a bit. "Sorry." He mumbled, lowering his eyes sheepishly.

Gwen suddenly began to feel bad for raising her voice. "No, don't apologize. Look..." She said letting out a sigh. "We're both hurt. You more than me. Don't you dare argue about that." She swiftly added when she saw him ready to retort something back to her. "So we need to get to Richie and Bill and get the hell out of here."

Eddie was about to ask her how exactly they were going to do that (considering how badly they were both injured), when the eerie sound of something cracking open caught their attention. Their conversation on how to get to the others came to an end as soon as their eyes landed onto the refrigerator that was in front of them. Eddie let out a gasp and Gwen suppressed a scream from leaving her when they saw a white gloved hand come out from the refrigerator. They knew who exactly that white gloved hand belonged to. And as much as they wanted to hide they knew it was too late to do so.

The refrigerator door was forcefully pushed open, revealing none other than _IT_ taking on the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. As if the clown form wasn't enough frightening for Eddie and Gwen, what had them even more disturbed was how _ITs_ arms and legs were folded inside the fridge. There was no way a human being would be able to do that, but that was just it...they weren't dealing with a human being. No, they were dealing with a malicious entity. A dark laugh filled their ears as the clown started to make _ITs_ way out of the fridge.

Pennywise unfolded _ITs_ body in such a unnatural way that it just filled Eddie and Gwen with even more fear. The both of them were frozen in place as the clown looked into their eyes. _ITs_ tall body at full length now. Seeing them look so helpless made the smile grow on _ITs_ white painted face.

 _"Time to float!" IT_ loudly boasted as yellow eyes zeroed in on Gwen.

Eddie suddenly began to hyperventilate causing _IT_ to look at him. Pennywise saw the state the boy was in and used that to _ITs_ advantage. Pennywise started to take dramatic intakes of air as he openly mocked Eddie's asthma. This of course just made Eddie even more scared and his breathing kept getting worse and worse. However, before _IT_ turned his mocking to an attack, a force of some sorts hit Pennywise's shoulder. With annoyance rising in the entity, _IT_ turned around.

"Leave him alone!" Gwen Tozier yelled. On closer inspection one would see how the young teen was missing a shoe. That was because she had thrown one of her shoes at _IT_ in an attempt to get the clown to leave Eddie alone. Gwen did this out of protectiveness and bravery, but any ounce of bravery she had faltered when _IT_ turned to look at her with those piercing yellow eyes she hated so much. Yellow eyes that scared her shitless.

 _IT_ could smell how scared she was and she smelled so _delicious_. The smell was so strong that Pennywise was already drooling from _ITs_ mouth. Gwen saw this and she grimaced. Half from the pain she was feeling from her head and the other half because of how disturbing it was to see _IT_ with what she would describe a hungry filled look.

 _IT_ took playful and thoughtful steps towards her. The bells on the silver suit ringed out loud the more _IT_ followed her. Gwen of course kept backing away from the clown, but as she did this her vision began to get hazy. There was no way she could get up and run...not that she would do that. She wouldn't just leave without Eddie. All of her sudden her vision started to get clear again and once she could see better, Gwen let out a scream. _IT_ was standing way closer to her now, and the clown was pretending to ready _ITs_ body to jump on her.

Breathing heavily a few feet away, Eddie anxiously watched as Gwen (the girl he cared for so much) was now being tormented by _IT_. He couldn't let the entity get to her. No...he needed to do something. He had to do something.

He supposed he could have been like Gwen and thrown one of his shoes at the clown, but alas that wasn't the choice of item he went for. Eddie instead open his fanny pack and grabbed his inhaler. By now his breathing had steadied (not that he really noticed), and with a firm expression the small boy threw the inhaler right at Pennywise's head.

"Get away from her!"

With a growl, _IT_ looked at Eddie with a glare. Those yellow eyes were glowing with a tint of red in them now. Like with Gwen, any ounce of momentary bravery left Eddie the second _IT_ faced him. Pennywise gaze then kept going back and forth from Eddie and Gwen. The glare _IT_ had on was replaced with a thoughtful like expression.

 _"Who to pick. Decisions, decisions."_

Gwen and Eddie exchanged looks of absolute fear with each other. Gwen was afraid that _IT_ was going to attack Eddie and Eddie in return was afraid that _IT_ was going to attack Gwen. Neither wanted themselves to get hurt, but their concern for one another was more overpowering. And that was something _IT_ could sense.

Pennywise's smile was cruel as _IT_ decided on a way to increase their trepidation. " _Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." IT_ started to sing hauntingly as the white covered gloved hand pointed to Gwen and Eddie. " _Catch a tiger by the toe."_ _ITs_ hand landed on Gwen making Eddie's breathing escalate once more. A laugh escaped the entity seeing how concerned Eddie looked before continuing on. " _If he hollers let him go."_ This time the white gloved hand landed on Eddie. Gwen's heart raced and her expression turned to panic. " _My mother told me to pick the very best one."_ There was silence as _IT_ pointed one last time between Gwen and Eddie. _"And you are..._ it _."_

Gwen didn't have time to protest and wretchedly watched as Pennywise launched _ITs_ form towards Eddie. _IT_ was now only a few inches away from the small boy's face. Eddie let out a hysterical cry as _IT_ without any remorse laughed in front of his face. Despite having a head injury and her vision not being one hundred percent reliable, Gwen wasn't about to let Eddie get hurt or suffer through _worse_. Picking herself from the ground, Gwen with such determination to save her friend ran towards the entity.

Before Gwen was even able to lay one hit or push the entity away, _IT_ moved with such speed and took a hold of her neck. _IT_ then dragged her down next to where Eddie was bundled up against the wall. Gwen let out a painful scream when the back of her head hit the wall. Eddie threw his older friend a teary eyed look. He too was being held down by _IT_.

Through her pain the Tozier girl saw how shaken up Eddie was. More tears were running down his face. Not only that, but he too was being forcibly held down by _IT_. Gwen was about to say something to him, but Pennywise tighten the hold _IT_ had on her neck. The hold wasn't to the point were she couldn't breathe, but she still felt discomfort. When she lifted her eyes, Gwen saw how bright those yellow eyes were. _IT_ had on a pleased wide smile that made Gwen want to hide, especially when she saw how sharp _ITs_ teeth were. She then heard _IT_ inhale a deep breath and when this happened a growl of content filled the air.

Her eyes widen with even more fear when Pennywise brought down _ITs_ nose to the back of her head. Not long after the entity did this she felt something rough licking the wound she had. This right away had her fidgeting and she started to put up a fight. However, a sting from her head made her stop. Not only that but the hold on her neck tighten. This time she did feel her air-way stop momentarily before she was able to breathe again. When she stayed still again, _ITs_ actions continued, freaking out not only Gwen, but Eddie as well.

When _IT_ finally did pull back both Eddie and Gwen saw blood stains on the clown's face and lips. Blood that belonged to Gwen. The Tozier girl felt like throwing up knowing (and seeing) that _IT_ had licked from her bleeding wound. From beside her she heard Eddie gag. What happened next though had both of them feeling beyond grossed out.

 _IT_ licked the side of Gwen's face leaving a trail of saliva and blood. Not being able to move (thanks to the hold _IT_ had on her), all Gwen could do was look at the entity with disgust and uneasiness. _IT_ took her submission as a win and once again a sickening smile appeared. _IT_ lowered closer to her ear and whispered a dispiriting sentence to her.

 _"The Turtle can't save you now."_

Gwen had to idea what the hell that meant. She was too scared to even gather a single functioning thought in her head. She was traumatized. This time it was her turn to feel tears in her eyes. _IT_ saw this and moved closer to her again. However, before _IT_ was able to lick her wound again, let alone get a chance to bite her, Eddie got the upper hand. Well he tried to anyway. The courage that had left before came back again. Eddie knew it wouldn't last long, but he was going to use the feeling while he still had it.

Using his good arm, Eddie began hitting the side of _ITs_ face. His hitting was not at all strong as he wished it to be, but it at least it had been enough to stop _ITs_ advances on Gwen. Except now the clown was looking at him with those yellow eyes with flashes of red in them. And just like that, Eddie's bravery left him and he became just as traumatized as Gwen was.

Sensing their lack of courage and increase of fear made _IT_ get a very pleased look.

 _"Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear."_

* * *

Back upstairs the black liquid was still making its way towards Bill and Richie. Luckily the two boys managed to get a hold of themselves. Knowing they needed to get the hell out of there and find Eddie and Gwen, they turned sharply back to the main door they came through. To their shock instead of seeing just one door, there was now three doors. Each of the three doors had different things written on them.

 ** _Not Scary At All,_ _Scary, Very Scary_**

Bill and Richie hurriedly looked at one another before they wordlessly agreed on which door to open. The two of them raced for the door that said **_Not Scary At All._** Just as Richie was about to open the door, Bill got there faster and pulled the door open with no difficulty. Once the door was open there was nothing but darkness in there.

 _"Where's my shoe?"_ Came a ghostly girl's voice.

Bill nervously reached for the light switch. Once the light was turned on they were both shocked to see none other than Betty Ripsom. The young girl's arms were chained to either side of the room walls, but what made their eyes widen was that the lower half of her body was gone. Betty let out a bone chilling scream causing Richie to close the door.

"Where the fuck were her legs?!" Richie shouted in distress. He jumped in place once he noticed the black gunk was a lot closer to them now. "Holy shit! What the fuck is that?!"

Bill got a hold of his panicked friend's shoulders. He needed to calm down Richie...and he knew exactly how. "This isn't real! Remember what Gwen said?" He earnestly reminded him. "About the missing poster? None of that was real, so this isn't real."

Richie remembered Gwen's words. The missing kid poster with his picture wasn't real. So like Bill mentioned this right now wasn't real either. _It's not real._ The bespectacled boy kept repeating that sentence over and over again in his head.

Bill looked at the door that said _ **Very Scary.**_ He pulled Richie alongside him as he walked towards the door. "Ready?"

Despite mentally telling himself this wasn't real, Richie was not at all ready to face whatever tricks _IT_ had planned out for them. "No!" He cried out.

Not at all taking his answer, Bill with all his courage opened the middle door. To his relief they saw that the door was once again connected back to the main hallway in which they came in. From beside him, Bill heard Richie let out a huff of air.

"Oh, thank fuck!"

Bill looked around the hallway and his stomach dropped. "Where are they?" He questioned when he didn't see either Gwen or Eddie. Richie's relief soon went away as he too didn't see either his friend or his older sister. Immediately he began thinking the worst and those awful thoughts worsened when they heard screaming from downstairs. Screams that both boys recognized to be Eddie's and Gwen's. Eddie's being the loudest at the moment.

 _"Help! Help us!"_

Bill and Richie without saying anything to each other rook off running to the downstairs portion of the house. After they raced down the stairs they went through the first door they saw. Richie was the first to go through, his worry for both his sister and friend beating Bill in the process. "Gwen! Eddie!" He called out once in the room. However, his face fell once he saw Pennywise before him. The clown was covering Eddie's face with one gloved hand, while the other was wrapped around Gwen's throat. What unnerved Richie (other than seeing Eddie's broken arm) was the blood he saw on Pennywise's _lips_. And from where he was standing, Richie could see the remains of blood stains on the side of Gwen's face.

"Eddie...Gwen..." Richie breathed out. Had the clown bitten Gwen? God he hoped not. Next to him, from side view, Richie saw how equally frighten and shocked Bill looked.

Pennywise zeroed in _ITs_ gaze on the leader of the group of kids. Yellow eyes gleamed as they took in his shaken form. _"This isn't real enough for you, Billy?" IT_ asked in a condescending way. _"I'm not real enough for you?"_

"Holy shit." Richie uttered as he was anxiously watched the scene before him.

 _"It was real enough for Georgie!"_ Pennywise taunted showing the sharp row of teeth _IT_ had.

Bill felt his eyes glisten at the mention of his dear beloved little brother. Before he was able to retort anything back to the entity, _IT_ laughed and sprung up towards Bill and Richie's direction. That action had Gwen and Eddie screaming for their friend's safety. Gwen thought they were done for, but out of the blue Beverly Marsh came to the rescue.

The red haired girl interrupted _IT's_ attack by impaling a metal spike in the entity's right eye.

"Shit balls." Gwen commented in shocked awe. If it weren't for her traumatized state, her pride for Beverly would have definitely been more obvious. Since what Beverly had done was bad ass. However, her and the other Losers were too busy looking at the now impaled entity. As _IT_ stood frozen in the middle of the room, the blood that was came out of the injured eye was floating in the air.

This unusual scene had Beverly losing her courage and she was quick to back away to stand next to Bill and Richie. As she did this the rest of the Losers, Mike, Ben, and Stan entered the Neibolt house. The three of them huddled by the entrance they came in and were in complete shock from what they were seeing. Stan's attention though was on Gwen. The curly haired boy saw the distressed state she was in. The girl he cared immensely for was on the ground next to Eddie (who was also hurt), with what looks to be a head injury, and he saw blood on the side of her face. Stan wanted nothing more than to make his way over to her, but the fear of being anywhere near that clown was getting the best of him. He felt ashamed that he wasn't able to be there for Gwen, but the fear he was feeling at the moment was too much.

Beverly's proximity, along with the rest of his friend's arrival allowed Bill to get out of the shocked daze he was in. "Get Eddie and Gwen!" He shouted with urgency before he ran passed _IT_ to get to Eddie and Gwen. The two of them were still huddled by where _IT_ had trapped them. Richie once again passed Bill and Beverly this time as he finally reached his sister.

As Beverly and Bill tried to get through to both Eddie and Gwen, Richie knelt down to his sister's level. He gently but firmly put a hand on her shoulder. Now that he was closer he got a better look at the state she was in. The injury on the back of her head made his worry increase. _Just what had she gone through?_ What did _IT_ do to her? Although he had a protective brotherly demand to know, Richie knew now wasn't the time to ask her this. They needed to leave, and he made that clear with what he said next. "We gotta get the fuck out of here!" He exclaimed as he tried getting Gwen up.

The Tozier girl wouldn't budge. Not even Bill and Beverly were able to get Eddie to stand up. No, both Gwen and Eddie were to busy staring at _IT_ to pay attention to anything Bill, Richie, or Beverly were saying to them. It wasn't until a growl was heard that they followed Gwen's and Eddie's gazes. All the Losers saw how Pennywise was standing taller now. _ITs_ head and other limbs were less stiff and when _IT_ turned to look at them the kids were left with an unnerving site.

The metal spike was still in _ITs_ eye, but they were able to see that the entity's eyes were no longer yellow, but a dark red instead. An angry dark red. The clown's mouth was also tilted to the side revealing sharp rows of teeth. The orange hair was more unruly and the face appeared more menacing. All in all Pennywise looked way more wild and frightening than a few moments ago.

This had Richie more desperate to get Gwen out of her wretched state. He took hold of her face and looked at her with wide eyes. "Gwen, look at me!" But Gwen wasn't able to let her brother through to her. Seeing _IT_ had her frozen with fear. Eddie too. The small boy was too entranced with _ITs_ horrific form that he did not at all notice how Bill kept calling out to him.

"Eddie, Gwen! Please get up!" Beverly begged urgently. But once again neither of the injured Losers did so.

Mike who had been lingering back with Ben and Stan, saw one of _ITs_ hands start to transform. "Guys, watch out!" He shouted to his friends.

All of them now saw how _ITs_ hand was transforming to what looked like claws. Just as Beverly was about to reach for Richie and Gwen, _IT_ saw what she was planning and growled at her. The red haired girl let out a scream and jumped back to lean against the wall. _IT_ laughed at her lack of valor before swiftly turning around. As _IT_ did this the metal spike in _ITs_ eye slashed Ben's stomach, leaving a massive bleeding wound.

That was what did it. That got Gwen to finally break out of her traumatized state. " _Ben_!" The Tozier girl yelled. She looked at Ben before glancing towards Eddie. Her heart ached. How many more of her friends were going to get hurt? Suddenly that fear she was feeling began to turn into anger. Her dark eyes harden at _IT_ , and as this happened the entity got a troublesome look. Within a few seconds though that look vanished. A forced smile soon appeared on Pennywise's horrifying face as _IT_ did a dramatic bow before backing away.

"Don't let _IT_ get away." Bill firmly announced walking towards where Pennywise had gone.

This had the anger Gwen was feeling disappear, and concern flowed through her. As the other Losers called for Bill to not go, Gwen too joined with the protesting against his leaving."Bill! Don't go!"

Eddie was in the same hysterical condition. "Bill! Come back! Bill!"

"Bill, we have to help Eddie!" Beverly shouted for his attention.

To Gwen and Eddie's relief (as well as the rest of the Losers), the Denbrough boy did come back not long after he went to follow wherever _IT_ had gone to. Gwen at the moment was too focused on calming down Eddie to care to ask where _IT_ had disappeared to. Richie had moved to face Eddie and he grimaced at how badly broken his arm was. His small friend was in pain, but perhaps he would be able to help him.

"I'm gonna snap your arm into place!" Richie frantically informed him.

Eddie's face twisted into even more panic. "Do not fuckin' touch me!" He yelled at him with wide eyes. The small boy quickly looked at Gwen who was still next to him for help. "Gwen, don't let him touch me!"

Gwen, along with Beverly and Bill were yelling things at the same time for Richie to not do it. However, it was such a verbal mess that Richie ignored whatever they were saying. The bespectacled boy took a hold of Eddie's arm and just as quick as ripping off a band-aid, Richie snapped his arm back into place.

"What the fuck!" Gwen exclaimed in shock as Eddie let out a noise of pain at the feel of having his arm snapped.

After snapping Eddie's arm back, all the Losers raced out of the Neibolt house. Bill and Beverly supported Eddie out of the house, while Richie helped his sister. Gwen's head was still hurting and her vision was getting hazy again. When they reached their bikes, Gwen was able to manage to stand on her own. Richie, however, (despite wanting to already leave this crackhead house) kept a close eye on his sister in case she fainted.

"You guys we have to figure out how to help Eddie. He can't ride his bike." Gwen rapidly informed her friends as they were each hurriedly reaching for their bikes. After she finished saying this, through her bad vision she managed to see Mike easily lift Eddie, putting him inside the front basket he had on his bike.

"Hold on." Mike quickly told Eddie. The small boy (although embarrassed that his exit had to come down to this) nodded and held on tight as Mike got on his bike and took off. By now Bill and Beverly were next to leave the premises. Followed by Ben. Gwen was just about to reach for her bike and ride away like the others, when Richie's firm voice stopped her from doing so.

"You're not riding your fuckin' bike!" Richie yelled at his older sister. "The back of your head is bleeding! And you can barely keep your damn eyes open!"

Gwen knew he had a point there. Just as she was about to suggest riding with him, Stan who was on his bike came to a halt next to her. The Tozier girl was surprised to see the curly haired boy. She hadn't seen him when they exited Neibolt. She figured he had been the first to take off. Had he left and then returned?

"Hop on!" Stan hurriedly urged her.

Any questions Gwen had were long forgotten and she quickly got on Stan's bike. They made sure Richie got on his own before taking off. Gwen held onto Stan's waist as they rode away from Neibolt. The curly haired boy kept talking to her as he pedaled as fast as he could. The injury on the back of her head had him worried, and the last thing he wanted was for Gwen to pass out.

Stan hadn't been there for her inside Neibolt (something he will forever have guilt and be ashamed of), but the least he could do was get her the hell away from there.

He needed to make sure the girl he held absolute love for would be okay.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I hope you guys liked this chapter. As I said at the beginning, next chapter will be a emotional one since it's going to involve the Losers' disbandment as well as Richie's and Bill's argument. Harsh words will be said between Richie and Gwen. ***Don't hate me*** So be ready for that! _


	19. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _A/N:_** _I hope you guys had a nice Christmas! If you guys didn't celebrate Christmas, then I hope you had a great day on the 25th. I visited my family at my brother's house I got to see my nieces and nephew and we watched **IT** three times. The love for that movie is strong with my family LOL ^.^ I also pre-ordered the blue-ray with the deleted scenes I am so excited for that! Anyways, here's the next chapter! Be warned this ones pretty emotional. It's a short chapter but I feel like you guys will like it because of a certain POV towards the end. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _"Friendship is like a glass ornament. Once it is broken it can rarely be put back together in exactly the same way."_ _―_ _Unknown_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 19: The argument**_

Sonia Kaspbrak had never been a fan of Gwen Tozier. The older woman always thought the worst in the young teen, especially whenever Sonia saw Gwen near her precious son. Eddie meant the world to Sonia and in her mind the Tozier girl was a very bad influence. Now Sonia didn't particularly like Richie Tozier either, but the negative thoughts she had for his older sister were stronger. Sonia thought Gwen was too daring for her own good, lacked serious manners for a young lady, and the venereal rumors about her going around town (rumors that were about how Gwen liked other females company) just made Sonia dislike her even more.

In return it was no secret that Gwen Tozier did not like Sonia Kaspbrak. Since Gwen could remember the older woman had always been cold and uncivil with her. Gwen had lost count of the times she had tried striking up polite conversation with Eddie's mother, but her attempts of any sort of kindness always failed. Sonia never once faltered the detestation she held for Gwen...not even when the teen was being nice to her.

So every time Gwen was with Eddie and Sonia had the unfortunate luck of being there with them (which was not always but it did tend to happen), tensions would rise. Although the fifteen year old accepted the terrible reality that Sonia would never like her, she still did not enjoy how the older woman stared at her. It was a stare that was filled with complete aversion and disgust. A stare of harsh judgement.

Gwen was used to being judged by people. She got judged everyday at school by her classmates and around town by the other town folks. So such rudeness was usually easily ignored by Gwen. Somehow though there was an extra sting to her self-esteem that she couldn't fully ignore whenever Eddie's mother glared at her. Eddie was an important person in her life. The friendship she had with the small boy meant a lot to Gwen. Therefore, having Eddie's mother hate her did nothing to assure the friendship Gwen had with Eddie.

The Tozier girl deep down was concerned that their friendship would come to an end because of how overprotective Eddie's mother was. Which of course was because of Sonia's dislike with how Gwen interacted with Eddie. Never before had Gwen or any of the other Losers given an actual reason for Sonia to enforce her anger on them.

Until today that is.

When the older overweight woman came out of her house (thanks to loud knocking from Bill's part) she saw Gwen with the other kids. Her eyes narrowed at the kids she considered to be trouble makers before her gaze faltered once she caught of her precious boy. Shocked by what she saw, Sonia's eyes widen by the awful state he was in. Eddie was covered from head to toe in dirt and one of his arms were broken. After taking such sight in, Sonia slammed her house door behind her. The older woman's hatred and anger grew as she blamed Eddie's good for nothing friends.

"You! You did this!" Sonia shouted as she pointed to each and everyone of them. The older woman was so enraged she did not care about how dirty they appeared to be. She didn't even look concerned at Ben's stomach wound or the head wound Gwen had going on or the blood that was on the side of her face. She also didn't find it odd that Gwen was missing a shoe. No, all her concern was only aimed at Eddie. "You know how delicate he is." She exclaimed as she dragged Eddie along by holding onto his neck.

Bill and the others followed behind. "We were attacked M-M-Mrs. K." The Denbrough boy tried to explain, but Sonia Kaspbrak wasn't hearing any of that.

Sonia forced a crying (and embarrassed) Eddie into her car before swiftly turning to glance at Bill. " _Don't_." She hissed not only to him but to the rest of them as well. "Don't try to blame anyone else." She then turned to slam car. As she did this her hands were shaking with anger causing her to drop her car keys.

Beverly saw this and went to politely reach for the keys. "Let me help _―"_

"Get back!" Sonia shouted causing Beverly to flinch and back away slightly. After she picked up her keys, Sonia sneered at the red haired girl she disliked almost as much as the Tozier girl. "I've heard about you Miss Marsh." She spat evenly at her. "And I don't want a dirty girl like _you_ touching my son."

Gwen wasn't having that. The Tozier girl stepped up (missing shoe and all) from where she was standing between Richie and Stan. She did not at all care that her head was still hurting. She couldn't just stand by and do nothing as Sonia Kaspbrak insulted the girl who she now considered to be her best friend. "Excuse me, but you have no right saying that to her." Gwen spoke up coming to Beverly's defense.

Sonia was fast to glare at the oldest Tozier sibling. All her anger was directed onto her now. "Oh, don't even let me get started on you, _Gwendolyn_ Tozier."

Gwen grimaced hearing her full name. Hardly anyone ever used her full name. Gwendolyn was only used by her mother (and maybe _sometimes_ her father), but that only when her mother was extremely mad at her. But hearing Sonia Kaspbrak address her that way...so formally... made Gwen feel shame. And the ignominy kept coming as Sonia Kaspbrak spoke.

"What kind of example are you showing to these kids?" Sonia asked raising her voice at the younger girl. "To that brother of yours? No wonder he's the way he is." Hearing that cut a layer of Gwen's emotional wall. Her eyes started to tear up, but Gwen did not let those tears escape her. Although it was getting harder and harder to prevent that from happening thanks to Sonia. As she struggled to stay composed the older woman added more to her emotional wound. "A good for nothing older sister who's more interested in causing trouble." Sonia tsked at her. "Your parents must be very ashamed of you. God knows your mother probably is. Her one and only daughter not only fornicating with other girls but also being a terrible role model for the other kids. But oh no, not to my Eddie." Sonia said shaking her head rapidly. "Because he's done with all of you." She said pointing to each of the other kids. Her finger then landed on the Toizer girl and the hatred in Sonia's eyes intensified. "Especially you, Gwendolyn Tozier."

From inside the car, Eddie could see and still _hear_ what his mother was saying to Gwen. It pained him to hear his mother say all those hurtful things to Gwen. Gwen was one of his closest friends. She had always been there for him in the past and just now at Neibolt. Both had been willing to attract the attention of that evil entity. Eddie loved Gwen and he knew she did not deserve this type of treatment. Not from anyone and especially not from his mother. The smaller boy should have gotten of the car and told his mother off (something he had never done in his life). He should have stood his ground and stayed with his friends. That's where Eddie knew he needed to be really be with. His friends. The only people who actually cared and didn't baby him.

But alas Eddie glumly remained in the car. Crying not only because he was in pain and because he was embarrassed. Eddie crying was mainly due to the horrible thought that he would never get to see his friends again. None of them. And the thought of never hearing any of them laugh or seeing them smile again wounded Eddie. He released another sniffle and lowered his head down as Richie stared at his mother with a pissed off expression. Even Stan had a hard look in his eye but Richie's displeasure was more upfront.

Richie clenched his fists in anger by his sides. No one talked about his older sister that way and got away without him shouting a round of curse words at them. Just because she was Eddie's mother didn't change a damn thing. He opened his mouth ready to let the older woman have it, but before he was able to release any verbal insults, Richie felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked down and he saw that it was Gwen's hand. She had a firm grip letting him know not to do what he was planning to do. Richie closed his mouth and sighed, reluctantly doing as his sister was pleading for him not to do.

Once the wildness had somewhat left Richie's magnified eyes, Gwen lowered her hand. It was then that Bill decided to get Eddie's mother's attention again. "Mrs. K-K-" The Denbrough boy tried speaking up, but was once again unsuccessful in doing so.

"No!" Sonia shouted again. "You're all monsters and Eddie's done with all of you! Do you hear me? Done." With that being said, she hurriedly walked to the other side of the door, opened it and got in. Before she took off down the road, Eddie managed to find it in himself to look up and gaze at his friends. His crying became more uncontrolled as his mother drove away from the people he considered to be the most important people in his life.

Helplessly, the rest of the Losers Club walked onto the road and watched the vehicle go in the opposite direction of them. Once it was no longer in their sights, Bill turned around the face his friends.

"I saw the well." The Denbrough boy announced to them. He knows they had just experienced something frightening, but the possibility of finding Georgie and defeating _IT_ for good was blinding him of anything dangerous. "W-W-We know where it is and next time we'll be better prepared."

Although her head was hurting and she felt like just passing out to the point of never waking up, Gwen knew Bill had a point. They were now so close to defeating _IT_ and despite the fall backs of what happened she wasn't about to give up the chance to kill the entity once and for all. Unfortunately, by the looks of it this news about the well was about the last thing they wanted to hear.

"No!" Stan interrupted raising his voice. Gwen including the others around her looked at the bird loving boy with surprise by how heated he sounded. "No next time Bill! You're insane!"

"Why?" Beverly questioned siding with Bill. "We all know no one else is going to do anything."

"Eddie was nearly killed!" Richie gestured to the road where Eddie had gone towards. The Tozier boy then looked at his sister who was now standing next Bill. "Gwen has a fuckin' concussion!" He ranted vehemently. "She's bleeding behind her head and she's not at all here! It looks like she's about to pass out any second!"

"I'm also missing a shoe, but I don't think that's really something to fuss over." Gwen awkwardly said in an attempt to lighten up the mood. She blamed her concussion for this because now she knew that had been a terrible time to try to lighten things up. The rest of her friends just looked at her, bemused. Except for her younger brother.

Richie didn't respond to her comment. He just gave her a hard look before he continued on with his rant. "And look at this mother fucker!" He said finally pointing to Ben's injured stomach."He's leaking hamburger helper!"

Ben who was embarrassed at the wound on his stomach barely managed to give a nod. It was small but it was enough to let the others know he was siding with Richie.

Beverly saw this and frowned. "We can't pretend it's going to go away. Ben, you said it yourself it comes back every twenty seven years."

"Fine!" Ben exasperated to his red haired crush. "I'll be forty and far away from here. I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town too?" He asked her.

"Because I want to run towards something...not away." Beverly earnestly informed him and the others.

Richie let out a scoff at hearing her say this. "I'm sorry, who invited _Molly Ringwald_ into the group?"

Right after he said this Gwen threw a glare towards her brother. Richie saw this but just ignored it. His emotions were all over the place to notice his rude behavior. He did see Beverly flash him her middle finger. When Gwen told Beverly that her new hair cut reminded her of _Molly Ringwald,_ Beverly was informed that had been a compliment, but hearing Richie say that to her now didn't have the same nice feeling as when Gwen called her that. Beverly gladly made her dislike for the bespectacled boy's comment well known.

Even Stan was affected by such comment. He looked at his friend with narrowed eyes. "Richie..."

"I'm just saying, let's face facts." Richie said with a hard tone of voice. "Real word, Georgie is dead. Stop trying to get us killed too." He began to walk towards Gwen ready for him to take her home, but was stopped when Bill stood in his way.

"G-G-Georgie's not dead." Bill emotionally stuttered out. He was close to tears as hearing one of his best friend's say that his baby brother was no longer alive.

"You couldn't save him, but you can still save yourself." Richie responded as he tried to get to Gwen. He however was blocked by Bill again. This had Gwen stare at the two of them with concern.

"No! T-T-Take it back! You're s-s-scared and we all are, but take it back!" Bill shakily shouted as he shoved Richie. Instead of backing down, Richie rushed forward and shoved Bill back.

Bill Denbrough had never punched before in his life. He knew it must hurt when hitting someone, but he was still in a great deal of shock when his fist connected with Richie's jaw. Although he believed it was the action of going through with actually hitting his friend that hurt more than the punching itself. He felt instant regret once he saw Richie on the floor touching his face with disbelief and when he heard Gwen shout from beside him. She was _not_ happy.

 _"What the hell, Bill?!"_

Despite her head injury, the Tozier girl rushed to her brother's aid. With Mike and Stan's help, Gwen was able to get Richie up to his feet again. To her shock, Richie began thrashing in Stan's and Mike's hold as he tried getting to Bill. The bespectacled boy's anger had hit a new record. His rapid movements made Gwen move closer towards Beverly as Bill was preparing himself to face an attack from Richie. Ben was right behind the Denbrough boy holding him back from doing anything rash.

Gwen who was being helped standing up by Beverly, shouted at such foolishness to end. It hurt to watch her brother and Bill (who she considered a brother as well) fight each other. This was not right. "Knock it off you guys!"

"You're just a bunch of Losers!" Richie yelled as he was still being held back by Mike and Stan. This angered him even more. "Fuck off! You're just a bunch of Losers and you'll get yourselves killed because of some stupid clown!"

Sensing this argument wasn't going to end on its own, Gwen pulled away from Beverly's hold and got in the middle between Bill and Richie. _"Enough!"_ She commanded with such powerful voice that both boys stopped. "Just fuckin' stop already the both of you! You guys are friends. You shouldn't be fighting each other."

Bill looked even more ashamed with himself while Richie trying controlling his breathing as well as his anger. Beverly came to stand next to Gwen and gently took a hold of her once she saw her somewhat close her eyes. The hold on her made Gwen more alert.

"Don't you see this is what _IT_ wants!" Beverly exclaimed to the other Losers. " _IT_ wants to divide us. We were all together when we hurt _IT_. That's why we're still alive."

"Yeah?" Richie adjusted his glasses. "Well, _we_ plan to keep it that way." He passed Beverly fully expecting Gwen to follow him and walked over to where his bike was laying on the ground. He picked it up and then with a confused frown looked at Gwen. His older sister was still lingering back towards where Bill and Beverly were at. She was no longer being helped by Beverly, as she was now standing on her own with a unreadable expression. "Gwen?" Richie called out. "What are you doing? Come on let's go home."

It was only a few seconds but to Richie it felt like hours before Gwen responded back. This time her expression turned solemn as she looked at him. "I'm not going home Richie. At least not right now." As much as she wanted to leave with her brother, Gwen couldn't just leave. Yes, what happened in Neibolt had terrified and grossed her out, but everything she and Eddie had gone through just made her more determined to end the entity's life. _IT_ not only caused the disappearances of all the kids in town but _IT_ also killed Chase. _IT_ killed the boy Gwen never had a chance with. She _needed_ to avenge her crushes death.

"So what?" Richie voice started to waver in vexation as he stared between Gwen and Bill. "You're siding with _him_?" He asked not daring to say Bill's name out loud. He was still too mad to even mumble or utter it.

As this growing conversation grew between the siblings the rest of the Losers watched, anxious.

Gwen could see the hurt emotion in Richie's eyes behind his glasses. She hated seeing that type of look on her brother. It always pained her. She held back tears that wanted to escape her again. "Richie _―_ "

"No, don't Richie me!" The Tozier boy interrupted her with a glare. Behind that glare though were tears ready to go down his cheeks. It all depended on what she would tell him next. "Just answer me. Plain and simple." He lowered his voice but his eyes remained the same. "Are you siding with him instead of with me?"

Gwen didn't want to answer that question. She knew that her answer would just upset and anger Richie even more. But it seemed the longer she kept quiet the more affected Richie was becoming. Gwen steadied her gaze onto her brother as she found her voice again. "You have to understand _―_ "

That was pretty much a yes and that devastated Richie. Gwen sided with Bill and not with him. "Well I don't understand!" Richie shouted causing her to stare at him with shocked eyes. He should have stopped talking now and just rode his bike away, but his hurt emotions didn't allow him to do so. "You know Chase is dead. You've accepted that. You even went to his goddamn funeral. Yet here you are putting your life in danger all because you want to defeat a stupid _Ronald Mcdonald_ ass looking clown!"

At the mention of Chase, Stan's eyes lowered to the ground, hurt. Gwen was able to catch this and was given more strength to respond back to her brother. "It's not just about Chase." Gwen said with resolute. Even though she did want to avenge Chase's death, Gwen also wanted to get _IT_ back for all the others the entity has made disappear. "Bill and Beverly are right!" She shouted with much passion. "If we all run away now all this death and chaos is never going to end. Kids will continue to go missing and adults will continue to be oblivious. We have a chance at stopping _IT_. We have to take this opportunity." Gwen gave her brother a knowing stare. "It's the right thing to do and you know it."

Richie shook his head, throwing away everything Gwen had just said. "All I know is that we need to stop being a part of this." His voice took a sudden serious tone. "Now I'm asking one last time...are you coming with me or not?"

How could she leave with him after everything she had just said? Gwen took a deep breath. She felt a tear or two escape her as she gave her brother her final response. "I...I can't. I'm sorry."

As Gwen said this to him, Richie's hurt and anger tripled. It didn't help that Gwen was standing next to Bill. The same jealously from before (jealously he felt when Gwen had spent more time with Bill than with him) came back with such a force as Richie kept gazing between Bill and Gwen. Never had his jealously for Bill been this bad, but Gwen siding with the Denbrough boy to stay and continue their "fight" with _IT_ had Richie beyond upset. Gwen was his sister. She was supposed agree with him. They always agreed on the same things. Whenever she was sick or going through one of her episodes he was the one who always took care of her. He was also the one who raced to her side when _IT_ was attacking her in Neibolt. Bill didn't do any of those things (in his mind, out of anger he thought this). So Gwen was supposed to follow and side with him. Not Bill. Yet she wasn't. Instead she was choosing to stay behind with Beverly who was also siding with Bill. This made Richie start to see red and his Trashmouth side got the better of him.

"You're being a dumb-ass, Gwen." Richie said before he was able to stop himself.

The rest of the Losers as well as Gwen stared at him in genuine surprise. Gwen wiped the tears that were on her cheeks before she was able to look past his rude comment and get a hold of herself. "Yeah? Well you're being a damn coward." She retorted back to him.

Richie didn't like being called a coward and because of that he ended up saying something very harsh to Gwen. It was something Richie would forever feel regret and guilt for saying to his older sister. And it was something that he would take back with tears in his eyes when he and the other Losers would enter the sewers to not only rescue Beverly but Gwen too.

"I hate you!"

If hearts could break into a thousand pieces Gwen was pretty sure her heart would have broken at the exact moment Richie said that to her. She let out a gasp and leaned more into Bill who didn't pull away from her distressed state. Richie had _never_ said that to her. Hearing him say that...it hurt Gwen. It hurt her a lot. More than the head injury she had. This time she didn't fight off the tears that were going down her face. She looked and felt heartbroken. Her brother hated her. Gwen wanted to curl up into a ball and just pass out.

Richie immediately wanted to take back what he said. He hadn't meant it. Not at all. There was no way he hated Gwen. He loved his sister with all he had. So seeing her cry made him want to hug and apologize to her, but seeing Bill comforting her by helping her stand made Richie more mad and jealous. He couldn't think rationally and instead of doing the mature thing, he just glared at them before taking off on his bike.

The rest of the Losers were frozen in shock by what just occurred. Never had any of them witnessed such a argument between the Tozier siblings. Bill who was holding onto a heartbroken Gwen felt terrible. Not only had he punched Richie, but he caused the Tozier siblings to fight. He didn't want that. He wished he had the ability to reverse time.

As Gwen felt another round of tears go down her eyes she was able to Stan. The curly haired boy was looking at her with such a crestfallen expression. And without saying anything to her, Gwen knew why he was staring at her like that. He was leaving too. Just like Richie. Stan's eyes practically screamed _"I'm sorry"_ before looking away as he got onto his bike. Ben was next to follow with him giving one last lingering look at Beverly before following behind Richie and Stan. That just left four of the Losers left but by the looks of it Mike was the next to leave.

"Mike..." Beverly softly called out to him as he walked towards his bike.

Mike turned to his three friends. He looked done and guilty for looking that way. "Guys, I can't do this." He said raising his hands. "My granddad was right. I'm an outsider. Gotta stay that way."

"You're so much more than an outsider, Mike Hanlon." Gwen managed to say as she tried controlling her crying.

Mike gazed at Gwen one last time as he took in those words. Before they were able to leave a full impact on him, Mike picked up his bike and rode away.

There was now only three Losers standing.

A regretful and guilt filled Bill, a sadden Beverly, and a heartbroken Gwen. Bill and Beverly looked at Gwen as she continued to cry and each went in to comfort her, but it did nothing to sooth her.

Richie's claim of hating her was still echoing in her head.

* * *

Deep within the sewers of Derry the entity known as _IT_ was growling not only because of anger. For the first time in the longest time _IT_ was actually feeling pain.

The entity had everything in _ITs_ control before _IT_ got impaled by the red haired girl. Although the metal spike isn't what caused the pain to stay. No...the anger coming from Gwen when _IT_ slashed the boy's stomach is what had the entity drawing back. Such anger created a sense of power within her that _IT_ had no other choice but to leave.

The same power _IT_ was planning on never wanting to deal with.

Except Gwen Tozier as the entity now fully knows, is an actual threat to _IT_. And _IT_ was starting to think that maybe she was getting close to finding that out too. The next step would be to eliminate her, but for an odd reason _IT_ instead pondered. Although the entity was _curious_ to see if the girl would figure that out or not, _IT_ had come to realize both Tozier siblings weren't exactly the same.

They were related by blood but they smelled entirely different from one another. Especially when they were afraid. In a state of fear or not, Gwen was by far more delectable than the boy. She smelled sweet of _morality_. Except her smell wasn't the only thing that intrigued _IT_.

Something else about the girl lured _IT_ in. And that was her power.

 _IT_ sensed great power within Gwen. A power only she exhibited. The kind of power that would be able to destroy _IT_ if used properly. Damn Maturin. That old pesky Turtle. Her joy made her more powerful. Therefore, _IT_ didn't want her happy. _IT_ wanted her to suffer...to be scared. For her to lose hope and to distance herself. But there was a catch. _IT_ wanted to be the only one to make her feel scared and uncomfortable. That's why _IT_ killed that lanky dark haired kid who was wandering around in the sewer tunnels because Gwen starting to get more scared of him than of _IT_.

As for killing the blue eyed boy Gwen was harboring feelings for...well, _IT_ killed him for a different reason. _IT_ ended his life because _IT_ wanted Gwen to feel such sadness. His death was different from the others. For _IT_ didn't eat him. No, _IT_ just wanted to kill him. Slowly but painfully. The reason behind this hasty action towards the boy was a rather bemusing one. Jealously or hatred... or perhaps both. _IT_ doesn't quite know anymore.

All _IT_ knew was that for awhile Gwen was never the same after the blue eyed boy's death.

And _IT_ took immense joy in her ache. For _IT_ did not like the feelings she caused to arise in itself. Strange foreign feelings... _warm_ feelings. The kind _IT_ imagined humans got for one another. The same kind of feelings she had for the boy. _IT_ was repulsed by this. _IT_ questioned why this would be. _IT_ eventually came to the conclusion that the girl's power is what lured _IT_ and caused these pesky feelings.

A part of _IT_ wanted to consume her whole, to taste those juicy girly bits of hers. While another part of _IT_ wanted to capture her and keep her forever. Like a pet or a doll of some sorts. To use that power of hers that _IT_ was attracted to for itself. The second part was ludicrous to even think of doing. Not so much the keeping her power part, but the keeping her as a companion part.

 _IT_ did not want to in anyway to feel close to the girl. No bond could be formed with her. So to push away these feelings _IT_ made sure to cause her as much pain as possible. To her and to the people she was most close to.

Which included those other seven bratty good for nothing kids.

The same ones _IT_ was beginning to hate more and more.

It was because of them that Gwen was now becoming stronger again. All the pain she had was slipping day by day and it was being replaced with strength and determination. Like the others, she was now determined to stop _IT_.

And it was because of those lousy kids.

 _IT_ wanted to end them.

But _IT_ had to think of a plan first.

 _IT_ would get the seven of them and then _IT_ would end their pathetic lives. As for Gwen? _IT_ wasn't quite sure what her outcome would be. Whether she'll die with those bratty kids or live to entertain _IT_ was the pending question.

The one thing _IT_ knew and vowed to do was to never let her experience the one thing she was desperate for.

 _Love_.

Real amorous type of love.

For if _IT_ couldn't have her _―_ whether as a meal or source of entertainment _―_ then no one else would be able to have her.

Ever.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hope you guys liked this chapter! The next will include Stan's Bar Mitzvah and it will include the deleted scene with him making his speech. (:_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _*Please read*_**

 ** _A/N:_** _Guys! I want to apologize and explain as to why it's taken a while to update this story. First, I'm sorry for making you guys wait, and second the reason why I've been lagging updates is because I just started college again. As per ordinary I am taking five class, but these classes are more time consuming than the other previous classes I had last semester. For my Maya Special Topic class I have a 2-3 page paper due every week, and I have readings and other written assignments for my remaining classes. Not to mention I'm taking a field school this semester and just about two weeks I went to my first archaeological field class. It was fun, but man was it exhausting doing all that hiking, digging, and carrying buckets of soil. Not to mention I kept falling because I am so damn clumsy, so I have bruises all over my legs. They're clearing up now. I'm supposed to go out in the field again in March. But anyways, what I'm trying to say is that I definitely have a lot of work to do this semester for school, so updates for this story (and for my other ones) will probably be slow. That doesn't mean I'm gonna stop writing, because I am determined to finish **Floating On Air.** I just wanted to make a announcement as to why updates are not as fast as they used to be. I hope this doesn't upset anyone because you guys mean a lot to me. _

_Also I wanted to let you guys know that I am changing the story's rating from **T** to **M** because we're coming close to the end and things are going to get even more disturbing. It'll mainly because of violence and gore (especially when we head into **IT: Chapter Two** when the Losers are adults, but I mean even now the language counts for the story being **M** rated. _

**_Anyways,_ _sorry for any misspellings. I'll try to fix them later._**

 ** _P.S._** _Just a quick clarification, in regards to who are the face-claims as **Maggie** and **Wentworth Tozier,** I like to imagine **R**_ _ **osamund Pike** as **Maggie** and **Patrick Dempsey** as **Wentworth** (just imagine him with glasses similar to **Richie's** ). In my opinion they're great face-claims for **Gwen** and **Richie's** parents. I just want to give you guys a better visual. Although **Wentworth** is mentioned in this chapter, he will have a much bigger and meaningful scene with **Gwen** in the next chapter. **Victor Criss** will also be making an appearance. __Now enjoy the story!_

* * *

" _Maybe I was destined to forever fall in love with people I couldn't have. Maybe there's a whole assortment of impossible people waiting for me to find them. Waiting to make me feel the same impossibility over and over again."_ _― Carol Rifka Brunt, Tell the Wolves I'm Home_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 20: Realization hits the heart**_

The last time Gwen and Richie had been at odds with each other (if one can even call it that) was about five years ago. When Gwen was ten years old and Richie was eight years old. And the reason for that so called fall out was because of the grape juice incident with Mr. Snuggles. Her beloved teddy bear. Due to Richie ruining her stuffed bear (the same one her father Wentworth gave to her), Gwen ended up giving her brother the silent treatment. It lasted for _almost_ a full week before she finally caved in and started interacting with him again. Since that silly child like incident though nothing else had gotten in between the Tozier siblings. With the _exception_ of Gwen's on and off again depression episodes. Except not even Gwen's diagnosed depression had made her completely cut Richie out of her life. Not that she ever would. Gwen loved her younger brother. And Richie loved her too...well at least she thought he did.

After the argument they had _two_ weeks ago with the rest of the Losers (minus Eddie who she still hasn't seen let alone talked to since then _—_ no thanks to Sonia Kaspbrak), Gwen wasn't so sure about Richie's love for her anymore. Not after what he told her. That awful heartbreaking sentence he said to her kept playing in her mind.

 _"I hate you!"_

It was just three simple words but how they caused immense emotional damage to her. But as Gwen had come to personally know there was a lot worse things that could still be said...or should she say, _unsaid_. Once again the dreaded silent treatment was being used between the Tozier siblings. Only this time it wasn't Gwen giving the silent treatment. No, it was _Richie._ And no matter how much Gwen tried getting him to say _anything_ to her, Richie didn't budge. The bespectacled boy had been holding strong for two weeks now. Not saying a single word directly towards Gwen. This silent treatment was way longer than the one Gwen had given him all those years ago. But now Gwen knew just how much it hurts being on the other end of the silent treatment. It sucked majorly for Gwen as well because it felt like Richie spoken to her for more than two weeks.

In fact the last actual conversation they had with each other was on the same day the blazing argument took place. The conversation went like this. After the argument with the Losers, a freshly emotionally and physically wounded Gwen went home. Bill (who still guilty for punching Richie and causing a rift between the Tozier siblings) had insistent on giving her a ride with his bike. And although Gwen was in a whirl of emotions, she accepted his offer. Mainly because she was hurt, but also because her own bike was had been left behind at Neibolt. Once she was inside her house, Gwen soon found herself going towards Richie's bedroom. She decided to to sick with the polite way and knocked on his door and she kept knocking (for what felt like five minute) before he _finally_ answered. Needless to say they did not come to any sort of understanding or even worked things out between them. Gwen tried getting through to Richie, but the youngest Tozier wouldn't listen to what she had to say. Although he deeply regretted saying " _I hate you"_ to her, his stubbornness, and jealousy towards Bill being so close to his sister, overpowered him.

Richie did tell Gwen that he would forget the argument _if_ and only _if_ she just sided with him regarding the whole _IT_ situation. Gwen, no matter how much she wanted to be on good terms with her brother, didn't do that...and because of that the damage between the siblings grew. Jarring words were once again thrown at one another (mainly from Richie _—_ but at least the H word wasn't said this time) and the conversation finally ended with Gwen telling Richie to go to his room. Which despite the seriousness tone of the conversation they were having, Gwen saying that was quite comical considering she was in _his_ room. It was a slip up that was obviously happened because her emotions were all over the place. Of course Richie took her verbal mess up as a opportunity to one up her.

She remembered how Richie had rolled his eyes at her. His facial expression was neutral but she could have sworn she saw a twinkle of amusement shine through for a moment there before it vanished. " _This is my room genius."_ He told her, thus making the fifteen year old feel embarrassment for her mistake.

Gwen had needed a few seconds to get herself together before she was finally able to response back.

 _"Fine... then I'm going to my room!"_

And that was it. After saying that Gwen practically ran to her room and since that day Richie hadn't spoken a single word to her. She of course tried initiating conversation with him, but all he ever did was give her a hard stare before taking off. No matter how many times she called his name or even tried doing voice impressions (very bad ones), Richie didn't say anything to her. His distant and cold behavior made things incredibly awkward between them. Especially during breakfast and dinner time. More so during dinner though.

However...breakfast today was pretty bad.

Their father Wentworth had left real early in the morning because had an "emergency" request from a patient at work _—_ surprise surprise. Which just left Maggie, Richie, and her. Gwen much preferred whenever her father was at the table with them _—_ especially since Richie and her were at odds with each other. Sure her father kept to himself and payed more attention to his newspaper than his children, but just his presence alone made the hostility between Richie and her a bit more bearable.

Maggie on the other hand for some reason increased it. At least Gwen felt that way about it and she had a feeling Richie did too.

For breakfast today, Maggie had made them eggs and waffles. Gwen knew her mother did this as a way to brighten things up around the house. Her mother might be oblivious (not as much as her father), but she wasn't a full on idiot to not tell there was a drift between the siblings. Maggie had just been ignoring it. Why? Well Gwen figured it was because the older woman didn't want to get involved. Maybe she thought things would work out on their own. Except they hadn't. Hence the special breakfast meal today. A two weeks too late breakfast meal.

Now it wasn't like Gwen didn't appreciate her mother making her breakfast. She did a lot. The fifteen year old had even thanked her before sitting down. However, it was a half-hearted thank you. Half-hearted because of the dispirited way she was feeling, and because of what exactly was on her plate.

Gwen wasn't a waffle fan. She'd rather eat pancakes. Richie was another story. He loved waffles and that was something anyone would be able to figure out based on the way he rapidly ate said food item. Like right now. As her younger brother devoured his waffles, Gwen used her fork to lazily pick at her eggs. Completely avoiding the waffles on her plate. This might have seem to be a rude action through a strangers eyes, but not to hers or even the people around the table. Her mother knew she disliked waffles. Gwen had told her countless times in the past and yet it appeared that Maggie hadn't listened. Not once. Which of course just bruised the relationship between her and her mother more. If her mother couldn't pay attention to a simple detail of her disliking a certain food item, that certainly said a lot about her.

In the middle of breakfast time, Maggie finally spoke up. "So, Stan's Bar Mitzvah is tomorrow. You guys excited for that?" She asked in hopes that either one of her children would answer her. However, much to her disappointment and annoyance neither one of them did. Richie ignored her question as he continued eating his food and Gwen was just picking at her food. This made Maggie let out a huff because of their behavior. For two weeks now she had to witness their distance from each other. She had to admit it was rather peaceful to have them not talking to one another, but now it was getting out of hand. Now they were both ignoring her...and that just wouldn't do. She let go of her utensils, and her crossed her arms over her chest. It was a pose that meant business. "Alright, what's going on?" She eyed her children intensely.

Gwen would be the first one to finally speak up. Noticing a difference in her mother's tone of voice, Gwen lifted her gaze from her plate onto her mother's face. She furrowed her eyebrows once she saw the displeased expression her mother had plastered on. "What do you mean?" She questioned thoroughly confused.

"I'm not clueless, Gwendolyn." Maggie put emphasize on her first full name making Gwen inwardly cringe. "You two haven't been speaking to each other for two weeks now. You guys barely even look at one another anymore!" She exclaimed in an exaggerated way.

Before Gwen was able to say anything else, Richie from the seat next to her made a show of finishing the food he had in his mouth. Maggie gave him an appalled look but he disregarded it. Richie then without saying anything turned to look at Gwen. His expression was set in stone but his eyes told a different story. After a few seconds of staring at Gwen he returned his gaze towards his mother. He adjusted his glasses as he stared at her. "There I looked at her. You happy now?" Richie asked caustically.

If Richie hadn't been mad at her, Gwen would have laughed for sure. Especially because of how annoyed their mother looked. Gwen though was quick to notice the flaming cheeks on her mother. That meant she was angry as much as she was annoyed. Gwen easily stepped in. Even though she wasn't on Richie's good side right now, Gwen still felt a duty to step in when her brother crossed a line with their mother. "Nothing's going on." Gwen said shrugging her shoulder. She had now gained her mother's attention. "We just haven't been in a talkative mood."

Maggie nearly scoffed when hearing that. "You and Richie not talkative?" She did not believe her one bit. "Are we in some type of different dimension where the two of you are not blabbing nonstop?

Now that last comment was _seriously_ uncalled for. Even Richie could tell you that. The bespectacled boy nervously glanced between his mother and sister, his remaining waffles long forgotten. He could tell by how Gwen was holding onto her fork that she was really _pissed_ off. At that moment he wanted to reach out and comfort her...but the reminder that he was supposed to be mad at her refrained him doing so. He just anxiously continued to watch how this whole thing would play out.

Gwen had to control her breathing. It was hard to do so though. What her mother has just said bothered her a lot. Not only was that an insult at her but it was also aimed at Richie. To top it off her mother's tone of voice just made everything worse. There was a simple way to fix this mess between her mother and her, but as much as Gwen wanted to explain the real reason why Richie and her weren't talking, she couldn't. Her mother wouldn't believe her. What adult would? If Gwen were to tell her mother that she, Richie, and their friends had been confronting an evil entity that could take the form of a clown, Maggie would for sure think her, Richie, and the rest of the Losers were bat shit crazy. So Gwen didn't say that to her. Instead the fifteen year old had to come up with another response. And it was a response that included the anger her mother created within her because of that hurtful comment she had just made.

Gwen remained quiet for a few seconds. She gave her brother a side glance and that was enough to calm her down. The hold on her fork lessened as a slow cool smile appeared on her face. She stared evenly at Maggie. "Yes, I know it's hard to believe _mother,_ but even us blabbers, as you like say, want to be quiet every once in awhile." She paused but she wasn't finished yet. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly to add more sting to what she was about to say to her. "You should try it some time. Would do you _wonders_."

Maggie was slack jawed. This made Richie's lips curls upwards in amusement. Gwen saw this and was pleased that she had gotten her brother to show another emotion instead of anger because of something she did or said. Besides, her brother's amused reaction though she saw how upset her mother now appeared to be. Gwen concluded that if she her mother had the ability to create steam out of her ears, they would at this very second. Luckily for Gwen it seemed Maggie was too agitated to even form a coherent retort. Now to add even more luck, right when it looked like Maggie was about to say _something_ , the house doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Gwen was quick to say. She got up from her seat without sparing her mother a glance.

The Tozier girl didn't know who to expect at the other side of the door (although she _hoped_ it would be one of the Losers _—_ specifically Stan), but disappointment and surprise soon invaded her features. When she opened the front door there was no one there. With a frown and furrowed eyebrows, Gwen looked around. After further investigation she still didn't get a glimpse of anyone around her house. Her puzzled state grew but came to a sudden halt when she finally gazed down.

On the _welcome_ mat her mother had put outside the front door was a small white box. It was the kind of box she assumed one would use for gifts. The bright silver bow that was planted on top of it just presented itself more as a gift box. Gwen half a mind to just leave the box alone. That would be the smart thing to do after all. Besides with the things she had experienced and seen as of lately, the box could have been a trick of some sorts. Except something told her the pretty small box wasn't a baleful trick. And it was that reassured feeling that made her reach for the said item. After she opened the box and saw what exactly was inside she was left with an awe.

Inside was the diamond ring she had been admiring all that while ago.

A series of questions went through Gwen's mind. What? How? Why? Or more importantly _who_ left this thoughtful gift for her. There was no card or even a name written anywhere on the box for who the ring was for, but Gwen knew that it was meant for her. The Tozier girl looked at the ring with a bedazzled expression. She felt a smile grace her face. It was a genuine smile, one she hadn't been displaying since the last two weeks. Now here she was with a joyful smile because of a gift someone left her. If only she knew _who_ was the person to cause great joy within her.

Her moment of happiness was soon ruined when she heard her mother call out her name. With a huff the dark haired girl quickly managed to put the precious ring back inside the small box. Gwen then gently stuffed the box inside one of the pockets inside her pants. She needed a second to compose herself before she headed back into the kitchen. Although she smoothed out the smile she had on her face, there wasn't much she could do with the faint blush she felt on her cheeks. She figured since it was faint that it wouldn't be _that_ noticeable.

As she walked back into the kitchen (acting as if nothing just wonderful had just occurred to her), Gwen sat down in her seat and once again started picking at her eggs with her fork. This time however she took a bite.

Richie was quick to see the difference in Gwen's attitude now that she was back. She seemed more...content. Was that because of who had been at the door? If so how come she didn't say anything once she sat down? A thought of jealously popped up. Maybe because it had been Bill. Except something told Richie it hadn't been the Denbrough boy who had knocked. If not him though, then who? He discreetly continued to look at his sister with curiousness.

Maggie too was just as puzzled and wanted an answer. "Well, who was it?" She asked her daughter. She was still mad at Gwen for making such a carefree comment to her, but her anger at the moment was pushed aside because she wanted to know who had just knocked at her door.

Gwen noticed how her mother was putting effort on not lashing on Gwen. Although she was grateful for that, Gwen was more than capable on handling a ticked off Maggie Tozier. "It was nobody."

Maggie raised a single eyebrow at such response. "Nobody? You mean to tell me someone knocked on our door but nobody was there?"

Gwen nodded her head. "That's exactly what I said." She then made a faux quizzical expression. "Maybe you should get your hearing checked out. Make sure you don't have any wax stuck inside."

This time Richie couldn't help the small noise that sounded like a laugh from escaping him. Sure that last part didn't need to be said but after the comment Maggie had made to them, Gwen still had a need to strike back against her mother. This time though Gwen's retort certainly got Maggie to unleash her verbal anger onto her.

Except not even her mother's yelling could lessen the happy mood she was now in.

All thanks to that mysterious person who had gifted her with that lovely diamond ring.

* * *

Thanks to that _last_ comment she made to her mother, Gwen ended up getting a long and heavy yelling session. Which of course blew chucks of dirt. After ten minutes of getting yelled at (ten minutes that felt like ten hours), Maggie ordered her to wash the dishes, take out the trash, clean all the bathrooms in the house, and last but not least organize the garage.

Now Gwen didn't mind the first three tasks. Cleaning the dishes was easy work and so was taking out the trash. As for cleaning the bathrooms, that wasn't really hard work either. _However,_ organizing the garage was a different story. The garage was the very definition of untidy. Sure her father liked to hide in there, but by no means was the garage orderly. There was tons of stuff in there. It was basically a storage place for unwanted things.

When her mother had ordered her to organize the garage, Gwen couldn't stop the shocked and slightly unnerved expression that crossed her face. She was unnerved because of the memory of what happened in Bill's garage. With a _huge_ Pennywise crawling towards them. That was a memory that would forever be implanted in her head. So being ordered to clean the garage was nerve-wracking. Although Gwen had to remind herself that the last time she or any of the other Losers saw _IT_ , the entity was seriously hurt. Impaled in one of _ITs_ eyes thanks to Beverly. Perhaps that's why _IT_ hadn't come back yet. The entity was probably still severely hurt and wasn't strong enough. Or perhaps it was hatching a plan of some sorts. Whatever the reason, Gwen was still on edge. Now one would think _IT_ was dead because of _ITs_ absence, but Gwen knew it would take a lot more than a injury to _ITs_ eye in order to permanently end the malevolent entity's life.

Luckily for Gwen she was able to open the garage door all the way. Letting the light in and making the darkness disappear. That eased her. What eased her even more was the fact that Richie was there with her. Well kind of. He wasn't inside the garage per say, but her little brother made sure to ride his bike outside while Gwen was inside the garage. No doubt discreetly keeping an eye on her as she finished the task she was ordered to do by their mother.

At some point during her organizing session her father passed by the garage from outside. He didn't even look surprised when he saw her in the garage moving stuff around. All Wentworth said to her was _"you back talk your mother?"_ He didn't sound mad when he asked, he was more tired than anything. Gwen with a sheepish expression had nodded her head. Wentworth in response this time just let out a heavy sigh before walking away. No doubt bummed that his hide out/relaxing place was unavailable at the moment.

It took about four hours for Gwen to finally get everything in the damn garage organized. After that doing that task, she never wanted to do that again. Not only because she was unnerved with being inside a garage by herself, but also because of all the freakin' spiders she encountered. Throughout such session she had to fight spiders after spider off of her from left to right. It was fuckin' _traumatizing_. When she walked out of the garage dirty covered with cobwebs and dust, Maggie was standing there with a firm expression. Her mother didn't say anything to her, just offered her a towel, silently telling to go wash up.

That had been yesterday.

Now it was Saturday.

The day of Stan's Bar Mitzvah.

Up until now she had been super excited to attend Stan's Bar Mitzvah. It was all the curly haired boy could talk about for the last past months and Gwen had been happy that she and Richie were invited to attend such an important event for Stan. All the Losers had been invited, but because of the argument that occurred Gwen wasn't sure if any of the other Losers were still going to go. She hoped that they would. Richie and her were still going even despite the rift.

The Tozier girl had even gotten Stan a gift. For her at the beginning it had been a challenge to find something right for Stan. It wasn't until she went into the small antique shop the town had that she found the perfect gift for him. It was an old but still in good condition collectors bird book. Although Stan had told her that he didn't want a gift from her, Gwen still got it for him. And the fifteen year old couldn't wait to to give him his present. Despite them going different ways regarding the argument that happened, Gwen still wanted to make Stan happy. Today was his special day.

Although she was happy for Stan, Gwen didn't feel ready for such a special occasion.

Gwen at the moment was staring at herself using her bedroom mirror. She really disliked the way she looked. Well...she always to a _certain_ extent disliked the way she looked. She had never been one hundred percent confident with her looks. She thought her hair was annoying (too long for her liking), she was too tall (in her insecure mind), and she wasn't exactly the skinniest of girls. Her mother said she had curves but Gwen didn't but that. She hated how developed she was than other girls her age. She developed too fast. It's what caused the most problems for her. Today her self-consciousness was higher than usual. It had more to do with the back of her head. Since the Neibolt incident she was extra wary with the injury she got on the back of her head. When Maggie had seen her bruised, dirty (missing one of her shoes), and bleeding from the back of her head she had been pissed and worried.

Maggie questioned her with what the hell she had been up to and Gwen was convincing with her answer. She had told her mother she had climbed a tree and fell. Her mother right away took her answer because it seemed like something she would do and rushed her to the doctor. Once there Gwen knew she would be getting stitches. That alone wasn't avoidable. So she was prepared for the doctor to cut or shave off the part of her hair to get to her injury. However, Maggie had stopped the doctor from doing that. Insisting that they let Gwen keep her long hair and to just work around the hair to stitch her bleeding injury. The doctor had been bemused by such request and despite Gwen telling her mother that she didn't mind the doctor cutting or shaving her hair off, Maggie wouldn't hear it. With a hard voice she told the doctor to just leave her hair alone and stitch her up the best he could.

Much to Gwen's surprise the doctor followed her mother's request and Gwen had to endure getting stitched with her long wavy hair in the way. It had been fuckin' annoying. Even though the stitches had healed by now Gwen's cautiousness hadn't left. Sure her hair covered it up, but Gwen knew she would have felt better if the doctor had just cut or shaved her hair off. Some girls would have been glad the doctor hadn't done that, but Gwen wasn't really. She had half a mind now to just cut her hair the same length Beverly had cut hers. Long hair was just a damn hassle to deal with. But Maggie would explode with shock if Gwen ended up cutting her hair randomly and short as Beverly had.

Maybe one day.

So because of her growing annoyance with her hair, Gwen left her hair as it was for today. In its natural waves. She only brushed it enough for it to be presentable. Her mother would have a fit if she saw her with her messy hair. And Gwen already knew Maggie was going to highly protest once she saw the dress she was wearing for the Bar Mitzvah.

Maggie had bought her a pink and white dress for her to wear. As if that weren't girly enough the dress also had flowers designs. Gwen absolutely did not want to wear that dress. So she picked another dress she had hidden in her closet. It was a black long sleeved lace dress. The dress wasn't the same length as the dress her mother bought for her. The black dress was slightly longer, passing her knees a bit, but Gwen much preferred that style. She hated wearing short dresses _—_ always had. She thought her choice of dress was practical yet formal enough. Yes it was black, but so what? It was still a dress (a dress she felt comfortable in) and in her mind it was quite a styling one. She knew that Stan wouldn't disapprove and that was all that really mattered.

Gwen however still had to witness her mother's reaction when she came downstairs with Stan's wrapped gift in her hands. Her outburst was exactly as Gwen predicted.

"You can't wear that!" Maggie exclaimed, horrified at what her daughter was wearing. Just what was she thinking?! She herself was wearing a formal violet colored dress. Her own hair was in a up do hairstyle, with the remaining loose hairs curled.

Gwen let out a huff. "And why not?" She asked completely looking passed her mother's appalled exterior form.

"Because it looks like you're going to a funeral!" Maggie snapped at her.

Gwen however didn't let that comment get to her. She gave her mother a tired expression, one that mirrored her father's. Oh how she wished her father was here again. But like usual he made the excuse that he was needed at work. "Mother, if I were going to a funeral I wouldn't have done my hair. Now would I?"

Maggie blinked several times. _She had done her hair?_ To her it certainly didn't appear so. She opened her mouth ready to make this verbally known, but never got to do so.

"Mom." Richie said catching her attention. Both Maggie and Gwen looked his way. Gwen now really noticed how spiffy he looked. He was wearing a light blue suit with a black tie. She could tell how uncomfortable he was due to him pulling at the sleeves like he was right now. He never liked dressing up, not that Gwen blamed him. She didn't either but today they had to. For Stan. Richie let go of his sleeves and adjusted his glasses. "Let her wear the dress." He said, his voice leveled out. "We're gonna be late."

Gwen was surprised that Richie had spoken up, that he was actually siding with her. She continued to look at him as Richie continued to look at his mother, waiting to see what she would say.

After what felt like an eternity Maggie relented. She let out a exasperated huff. "Fine." She answered reluctantly. "Let's just go. Come on." She hurriedly walked towards the front door, purse and car keys in hand.

When Richie walked passed Gwen, she spoke up. "Thanks." She said not expecting him to acknowledge her whatsoever. To her surprise he did and that made Gwen stagger back a bit.

Richie had faltered in his steps and turned to look at her. He saw how shocked his sister appeared to be because he had actually stopped. At that moment there were so many things Richie wanted to say to his older sister. _"I'm sorry"_ being the main one. He didn't want Gwen to think he hated her, because he didn't. But he also didn't feel like right now was the moment to work things out. Not yet. So Richie cleared his throat. "I just spoke the truth." He softly said, finally speaking to her. Two weeks silent treatment and that was all he could say to her. He lowered his gaze away from her. "Now hurry up." He muttered and then then followed their mother.

Gwen had to secure the hold on Stan's gift. Richie talking to her again had almost made her drop the wrapped gift. Her younger brother openly acknowledged her...finally. He talked to her. Sure it was short and rushed, but he said something to her. That was a good thing, wasn't it? This is no way meant that they would be returning to how things were before between the two of them, but it was a step forward towards the right direction. She let herself smile for a few seconds there before finally making her way outside to catch up with her mother and Richie.

* * *

Gwen Tozier never really considered herself to be the religious type of person. Even despite her parents being full on Methodists. Throughout the years (attending church every now and again) religion never really settled with Gwen. She knew Richie wasn't fully religious either (he just acted like he knew _—_ often by joking around), but he for sure believed in that stuff way more than she did. Gwen also wasn't one to really believe in labels, but if the fifteen year old _had_ to label herself then she would call herself an Agnostic. Agnosticism is what she felt most comfortable telling people she was when asked what her religious beliefs were. Why? Well because it was just a safe option for her.

 _A person who claims neither faith or disbelief in God._

That was the definition of Agnosticism. Plain and simple. Easy, right? Well not exactly. At least not for Gwen. Her doubting characteristics and her claim to be an Agnostic never got any good reactions. Especially not from her mother. Maggie Tozier sure didn't like it when Gwen spoke so unsure about religion. Her mother had wanted her to be like her and be fully devoted or at least more interested, but that just wasn't Gwen.

Not even Francine could understand her reasoning behind being Agnostic. It got to the point to where Gwen didn't even want to talk about religion. Not to her parents, Francine, or anyone else for that matter. She'd turn the blind eye and avoid it as the plague. However due to the recent awful things that have occurred, it made Gwen _wonder_...

Since she now knew an evil entity like _IT_ existed, that meant there had to be a counter opposite of _IT_...right? Would that entity be that so called God her mother told her growing up to pray to when the going got tough? Did God even exist though? Gwen still wasn't one hundred percent sure. However, if something bad like _IT_ existed then God had to exist too, right? Or maybe something close to God? A type of benevolent being. Except, where was that good entity when she and her friends needed it? Why leave them to fend for themselves?

That's what caused mixed thoughts and feelings to surge within Gwen.

She just simply wasn't so sure anymore.

Gwen knew though that there were other religions besides Methodism. Stan was a perfect example with him being Jewish. Sure Gwen wasn't highly devoted with her own religion like Stan was with Judaism but Gwen still respected his beliefs. She in no way made fun of or degraded for what he believed in. In fact, she didn't cause any sort of conflict towards other peoples religious beliefs. If they weren't harming themselves or others, then why cause trouble? People could be cruel. Like Henry Bowers' cruel.

That's what Gwen thought as she, Richie, and their mother stepped inside the synagogue. The fifteen year old was amazed by how full it was inside. She right away ignored the scrutinizing gazes people were throwing her. Sadly as she did this she noticed that none of the others Losers were present. She frowned at that and from the side she could see Richie coming to that realization himself. She once again secured the gift she had in her hand as she let her gaze wander around the synagogue again in hopes of catching a glimpse of Stan.

It didn't take long to find the curly haired boy. Except today he wasn't his usual curly haired self. Right when Gwen saw him the first thing she noticed was how his hair was slicked back. The second thing she noticed was the attire he had on. Gwen had to admit to herself that he looked handsome. On that handsome face of his though was a high-strung expression. He was off to the side appearing as if he were reciting words to himself. He was nervous that much was obvious. Gwen tried excusing herself from her mother and brother, but Maggie spoke up.

"Richie, do you want to go with her and say hi to Stanley?"

The bespectacled boy looked Gwen before glancing at the gift she had in her hands. He knew the struggle Gwen went through to find that gift for Stan. Even despite the silent treat he _had_ been giving her. He was well aware that she wanted to give Stan's gift alone. He wasn't about to ruin that. Also, maybe if she talked to Stan there was the hopes that his friend would finally confess the feelings he had for her. _If only._ It was those reasons alone that made Richie shake his head. "No, I'll say hi to him later."

Gwen smiled at that and gave Richie a nod of thanks. In return Richie just returned the nod before walking away with their mother. Yet again it seemed that things between the siblings were progressing slowly. The Tozier girl then resumed making her way towards where Stan was at.

It was an odd knowing feeling of some sorts, but Stan automatically knew that _she_ was here. Lifting up his gaze, his light brown eyes landed onto her beautiful oncoming form. It was like the fourth of July festival all over again. The rest of the people around them disappeared and all Stan focused on was Gwen. The dress she had on was breathtaking and even though it was a looked down upon color, Stan had to admit Gwen did the dress justice.

And as Gwen walked down the aisle of the synagogue to get towards him, Stan couldn't help the daydream that popped into his head.

Gwen in a wedding dress walking down the aisle to meet him. Them getting married was just a ludicrous fantasy of his (one he had never had before until this very moment), but whoa what a fantasy that was. It was one Stan wanted to be _true_. But it wasn't. Not now that is.

Stan was blushing from head to toe when Gwen stopped in front of him. During her walk, he failed to notice the wrapped gift she was holding. When he finally saw it, his stomach fluttered. Except what made his happiness grow more was seeing her wear the diamond ring she pointed out from the jewelry shop all those weeks ago. The same ring he bought for her and then left in a box at her front door. It took him all the saved up allowance from the past year to purchase such ring, but it was worth it in his eyes.

"Hey, Stan." Gwen cheerfully greeted him.

Stan had to control his heartbeat now that she was close to him. "Hi, Gwen...you look nice." She looked more than nice. She looked _beautiful_. Stan wanted to say that but his flustered self was preventing him from saying so.

Gwen smiled. "Thanks, but if we're giving out compliments then I have to say you look handsome. Not that you usually don't because you do." She shut her mouth right after she said that. She blushed mad hard. _Where in the hell had that come from?_ Out of nervousness she reached for the diamond ring she had on. It was an action Stan took notice to and it took quite an effort for him not to smile pleasantly.

"So, uh, are you ready?" Gwen asked him. She figured if she moved on the conversation the better chance he'd forget about that slip up she made.

The nerves from before came back with a vengeance. "I'm trying not to be nervous but..." Stan let out a sigh. "I'm afraid I'll end up embarrassing my father." He admitted to Gwen. "For months now I've been practicing, but I always seem to mess up. Gwen..." His eyes soften and Gwen felt immense compassion for him. The Tozier girl didn't need to think about her next action because she did it out of instinct. Stan though was slightly thrown back when used one of her hands to grab one of his. They had done this a bunch of times now and it still affected him dearly. Despite being surprised, he basked in the cool feeling the diamond ring left within his hand.

"Stanley Uris." Gwen said earnestly making him feel butterflies in his stomach. "You go out there and give it your all. If you mess up...then you mess up, but at least you _tried_." She gently squeezed his hand. "And that's what counts, right? That you worked up the courage to succeed. Besides, I know you can do it. I _believe_ in you."

She believed in him? Stan's eyes gleamed with adoration. Was there anything Gwen could say that wouldn't cause his feelings for her to escalate? "Thanks, Gwen." He said returning the hand squeeze. His gaze then landed onto said wrapped gift that Gwen was holding with her other free hand. Gwen noticed this and smiled bashfully.

"Anyways, um, this is for you." Gwen said finally giving her gift to him.

Stan smiled and took a hold of the gift. "Thanks, but I thought I told you not to get me anything."

Gwen gave him a low laugh. "You thought I'd actually listen to that silly request?"

Stan laughed in return. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you didn't." He became earnest with her and squeezed her hand he was still holding onto. "Thank you."

Despite not wanting to, Gwen felt her stomach flutter. "I really hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will." Stan said, the smile that graced his face becoming brighter as the seconds passed by. "No matter what it is."

Had his eyes always been that nice shade of light brown? Gwen wondered adoringly. As soon as she thought this Gwen chastised herself. What was going on with her? Why was she thinking that? This was Stan...maybe it was just because she hadn't seen or talked to him...yes perhaps that was just it.

 _No_.

A voice said in her head. This was her emotional side speaking. The side she had been avoiding since _IT_ admitted Chase died because he more than liked her. That was something Gwen was still trying to deal with. Countless nights now she had cried herself to sleep because of the guilt she felt over Chase's death. He had died because she liked him, and because he liked her...maybe he even _loved_ her. And now here she was getting giddy feelings towards Stan? _No_...she couldn't...she _refused_ to feel romantic feelings towards Stan. How could she like Stan? She kept telling herself that her heart still belonged to Chase, that not only was it foolish to like Stan, but it was _wrong_. Liking Stan would only bring more danger into his life.

Except maybe she didn't have to worry at all. Just because she _might_ be starting to like Stan, that didn't necessarily mean he liked her back. At least she hoped he didn't because if there was anything Gwen learned from Chase's unfair death, it was that anyone who liked her back romantically didn't get such a good ending.

Poor Chase was a prime example of that.

 _Oh Chase._ Gwen released a sad sigh. She felt tears want to escape her but she did well in pushing them down.

Gwen at that very second should have let go of his hand, but with the way Stan held softly onto hers made it impossible to let go. She knew she had to though. "Stan, I have to _—"_

 _"Stanley."_

It was finally then that Gwen and Stan let go of each other hands.

The pair had been so lost with each other that they didn't hear the oncoming footsteps. In front of them now stood Stan's father. Rabbi Donald Uris. There were two things Gwen knew about Donald Uris. One, he was a very devoted Rabbi _—_ proud of his religion. Second, like Sonia Kaspbrak, Donald wasn't he wasn't a huge fan of Gwen. The difference between Sonia and him though was that Donald had better control of his dislike towards Gwen. Well sort of. Instead of showing plain hate towards Gwen, Donald was more austere with the way he interacted with her. Despite this Gwen had to admit Mr. Uris put her on edge. With his sudden presence, Gwen got a somewhat better understanding with how Stan felt regarding his father putting constant pressure on him to excel.

Gwen suddenly felt uncomfortable, but she worked through it. "Hello, Mr. Uris." She respectfully addressed him.

Rabbi Donald Uris was wearing a similar outfit as Stan. The only difference was that he appeared more strict. Then again Gwen was aware that he was just as a strict on the inside as he was on the outside.

Donald gave her a single nod of recognition. "Gwendolyn."

 _Again with the first full name._ Gwen had to contain the exasperated sigh that wanted to escape her.

"Do you mind giving my son and I moment to speak with each other."

Although it sounded like a request, Gwen knew that it wasn't. She nodded her head. "Of course." She threw Stan another smile before walking back to her mother and Richie. With a wistful look in his eyes, Stan watched her leave. His longing was soon interrupted by his father

"Stanley, you're sweating profusely." Donald said with a deep frown. "Get a hold of yourself." He ordered raising his voice a bit. "You're about to go on. This appearance you have is unacceptable."

Stan didn't even know he had been sweating. He must have been too dazed with Gwen's presence. On his fathers command that's exactly what Stan did. He fixed his appearance...or at least tried to. Stan wanted to gain approval from his father, but he couldn't help look towards Gwen's form again.

As he did this, Donald eyed the present Stan had in his hands with distaste. He glanced back and forth between the present and where Gwen was at before finally settling his gaze back onto his son. "I'm very aware of what's going on." He informed him.

Stan's eyes widen. He held the Gwen's gift closer to his chest. "Aware of w-w-what?" He stammered.

"Your feelings for the Tozier girl." Donald spewed out. "And I must say it is unacceptable."

Oh dear even his father knew of the feelings he had for Gwen. The normal reaction at this point was to freak out. Stan, however, didn't. What his father said stopped him from doing so. "What, why?" He questioned, frowning. Why did his father think his feelings for Gwen were unacceptable?

"What do you mean why?" Donald asked, irritated. He did well in hiding his annoyance considering the people that were around them. He lowered his voice as he continued speaking with his son. "How would that look, huh? For the Rabbi's son to be dating a Goy." He shook his head, offended at the idea of that. "No, that just won't do."

That's why his father disapproved? Just because Gwen wasn't Jewish? Stan respected and cared a lot for his religion (even despite the constant pressures his father put on him), but even he had to admit the reason his father gave him for not being with Gwen was ridiculous. "I have ardent feelings for her." Stanley heartily explain to him.

Donald made a face as if he thought that comment was such a child like thing to say. Since to him it was. "It's just a crush, Stanley. A doltish crush that will pass. Hopefully sooner than later." He muttered the last part to himself.

Stan still heard him and it got him thinking. The curly haired boy _knew_ it wouldn't pass because it wasn't just a doltish crush as his father described it. What he felt for Gwen couldn't be described as a crush anymore. Throughout the summer the feelings he had for Gwen had transformed into something stronger, more meaningful. To put it in simplest terms Stan was in love with Gwen. He one hundred percent without a doubt in the crazy world they lived in was in love with her.

Now that he really thought about it he could pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with her. _The quarry._ On the day he and the rest of his friends had gone swimming. The day he had seen Gwen so carefree and happy without any worry radiating off of her. It was that day Stan had seen her natural beauty. The specific day that Gwen Tozier had put him under her spell.

Stan once again held her gift closer to him.

 _I love Gwen with all my heart. I really do. And no one, not even my own father can stop me from loving her._

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a touch on his shoulder. He looked up to be met with his father's stern gaze. "She's just not good enough for you, son." Donald firmly informed him.

To say Stan was shocked and hurt to hear that from his father was a understatement. Donald saw the look his son had but openly disregarded it. He remained his strict self. "Now go set that gift down somewhere. You don't need to be holding it." When he saw how his son wasn't moving, Donald narrowed his eyes. "Now _Stanley_." He ordered.

Stan wanted to tell his father off. Oh how he wanted to do that. He couldn't stand by again and watch and hear someone disrespect Gwen again. He still felt guilty for not standing up to Eddie's mother. The thirteen year old wanted more than anything to go back in time to shield Gwen from her verbal insults. But alas that wasn't possible. So he had to move on pass that, but now here was his own father saying Gwen wasn't good enough for him. The hell was that about? What did his father now about love? Stan had enough of his father's unalterable comportment. He had to finally stand up, not only for himself, but also for the girl he loved. And Stan knew how he was going to do so.

As that was happening, Gwen had settled down with her mother and Richie. As she was sitting between her brother and mother, she saw Stan's mother approaching. The older woman said hello to Maggie before sitting down next to Richie. She gave the youngest Tozier a simple smile of recollection. Richie did the same and then her eyes landed onto Gwen.

"Hello, Mrs. Uris." Gwen politely greeted Stan's mother.

Andrea James Uris remained quiet as she eyed what Gwen was wearing. An astonished expression passed through her eyes before she managed to present a well-disposed smile to the Tozier girl. "Hello Gwen."

Gwen accepted the greeting despite the passive aggressive attitude that lurked behind it.

Mrs. Uris had never been one to openly admit she disliked Gwen, but something within the fifteen year old said that Stan's mother didn't have the strongest opinions on her either. Now it wasn't full on hate like how Eddie's mother felt towards her, or even a stern exterior form that Stan's father displayed for her. No, Stan's mother was skillful in hiding the antipathy she had for her. Did it bother Gwen that Stan's mother disliked her? Yes it did, but by now Gwen was used to adults not liking her. At least Andrea hadn't (well she's never had) used her full name like how Sonia or Donald have done. That was something Gwen took as a good sign from Stan's mother.

Gwen's attention was soon pulled when she saw Stan walking towards the entrance of the synagogue. She saw him gently put aside her gift on the floor there. At first she was confused as to why he was doing that, but then realized that he was about to go on. It wouldn't make sense for him to hold onto a gift during his special moment. As he hurriedly walked back to where his father was at Stan spared her a glance. To Gwen though it wasn't an ordinary glance. It was one that left a heavy impact on Gwen. Once again she hid anyway giddy feelings that wanted to resurface. She instantly reached for her the diamond ring she was wearing as she watched Stan reach the middle of the synagogue.

Within a matter of minutes the ceremony started.

Gwen had never been to a Bar Mitzvah before. So it was interesting to see one up close and personal. She had no idea what Stan was saying, but that didn't stop the awe she felt for him. He sounded _wonderful_. Every time he looked towards Richie and her, she made sure to flash him an encouraging smile. Yes she was still having a inner conflict with herself but she couldn't let that get in the way of supporting her _friend_. However during the moments when Stan wasn't looking their way, Gwen found herself staring at her ring with awe struck eyes. She was completely unaware that Stan, the boy who was giving his Bar Mitzvah speech, the same boy she had come to ardently care for during the summer (even despite telling herself she didn't), was the one who had given it to her.

Once Stan finished pronouncing that last word of the Torah, Stan's father and the other along with the rest of the crowd (including Gwen) waited patiently for him to continue speaking. Gwen felt a little bemused as to why Stan had such a solid expression on. She would have figured he'd be smiling knowing he had done well so far. From beside her Richie too looked a bit puzzled. Even more so when Stan grabbed the microphone from the stand.

"Um, reflecting on what I just read...I like what it says about indifference." Stan spoke to the audience. "Well, when you're a kid you think the universe revolves around you. That you'll always be protected and cared for. That you'll always have the same friends as when you were a kid." Gwen turned to look at Richie and she was rewarded with the same expression she had on. They were both beyond _perplexed_. Was this part of the speech Stan had to make? Said boy could see how confused everyone looked. Especially his own father. _Good_. He continued speaking. "Then, one day, something bad happens, and you realize that's not true. You wake up suddenly not caring about lives outside your own. Nothing going on outside your front door matters anymore."

"Stanley..." Donald whispered to his son. Stan ignored him.

"You separate yourself from anything that might matter to you. Neighbors, family..." Stanley gazed over at Richie and Gwen. "Your friends." He took a deep breath, composing himself. "But when you're alone as a kid, the monsters see you as weaker, and they start to come for you. You don't even know they're getting closer...until it's too late. So they attack you before you find the truth about what's happening." Both Gwen and Richie were now staring at Stan with amazement rather than puzzlement. Stan was speaking the damn truth to everyone else who were too blind to notice what was going on in their precious town of Derry. "If any of you opened your eyes, if you really cared, you would see what we're going through. I guess _indifference_ is a part of growing up."

"Stanley." He father said more forceful this time.

Once again Stan didn't stop with his speech. His voice took a profound tone. "Becoming an adult isn't about being able to vote. Or being able to drink or drive." When he felt is father step towards him, Stan started to back away as he continued to talk into the microphone. "Becoming an adult, according to the holy scripture of Derry, is learning not to give a _shit!"_

After saying that, Stan threw the microphone to the floor. Before his father was able to grab a hold of him, Stan made a run towards the entrance of the synagogue. Everyone apart from Richie and Gwen were shocked at Stan's outburst. Including Stan's mother who was still trying to process what just happened. She remained planted in her seat with a wide eyed expression.

"And one more thing..." Stan finally said from where he was now standing at. Gwen felt her stomach do twists when she saw how Stan was holding onto her gift again. She also took notice on how he was looking right at his father. His stare was hard and serious. "Only _I_ get to decide who's good enough for me or not." After saying that Stan directed his attention onto Gwen. The anger that resided in his eyes left the instant he saw her. Tenderness filled in those light brown eyes of his.

Gwen felt her heartbeat pick up pace with the way he looked at her. Her cheeks burned at the realization that everyone else was witnessing this moment he and her were having. Her mother, younger brother, Stan's parents...and bunch of other Derry residents were staring at the young teens. Bemusement seemed to be the most given expression at the moment.

Stan though didn't care, that much was obvious. The young boy just continued to gaze adoringly at Gwen before he finally left the synagogue. Her gift clinging to his chest as he ran off.

There was absolute silence. No one in the synagogue said or did anything. Well, that was until Richie got up to stand from his seat. He had on a smile on his face as he started to proudly clap. He wasn't only clapping because of Stan's outburst, but also because in some way he admitted his crush on Gwen. Stan the Man finally stepped up to the plate.

Gwen, despite being thoroughly thrown off by Stan's last statement, went to follow Richie's actions, but unfortunately Maggie never allowed them to do so. The older woman saw how peeved off Stan's parents were, so she was quick to pull Gwen and Richie down to their seats.

With a huff they sat back down. Richie, however, wasn't done with his lightheartedness. "So, I guess there's no after party?" Richie asked breaking the silence that filled the synagogue.

"I guess not." Gwen softly whispered.

Maggie Tozier threw both of her children a look that said _"be quiet and behave."_ Richie made a show of crossing his arms over his chest as he reluctantly closed his mouth. Gwen also stayed silent. Except she was quiet for a whole different reason.

Stan didn't openly say it out-loud, but that outburst at the end was enough for Gwen to _finally_ connect everything together. Stan _liked_ her. One of her younger brother's best friends (and one of her own friends) liked her. Stan who she has known basically her entire life had _feelings_ for her. The curly haired boy who she just not that long tried convincing herself that he didn't like her, did in fact like her.

 _Oh crap._

Now that she knew for sure that Stan liked her, Gwen could no longer deny her own feelings that had been slowly growing inside her. Feelings that were for Stan...because that was the truth. Gwen did _like_ him, and that caused great distraught within the fifteen year old. Since it was feelings like those that eventually ended Chase's life. Love...but was it full on love with Stan? Perhaps. Either way, Gwen having romantic feelings for Stan was like her putting a death curse on him.

Gwen had to close her eyes in order to stop herself from crying.

Stan's life was now ruined and it was all because of _her_.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own_ _ **IT**_ _or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _A/N:_** _GUYS I AM SO SORRY! I know it's been forever since I updated this. For that I deeply apologize. I was just so focused on school and I've been writing my Avengers Fan-Fic. However, I am now on summer break meaning I am going to have more free time and I do plan on finally finish this story ^.^ Adding to that, good things are happening you guys! If you haven't heard (which I am sure you have by now) **Jessica Chastain** has been officially confirmed for the adult role of **Beverly Marsh**. **J**_ _ **ames Mcavoy** is going to play adult **Bill Denbrough** and **Bill Hader** got the role of adult **Richie Tozier.** Which just makes me see bright colors because those are amazing choices! Especially **Bill Hader** because he's the only actor I have ever seen for grown up **Richie Tozier.** I mean the guy does voice impressions and he's been on **Saturday Night Live!** He's perfect! Even **Finn Wolfhard** wants him to play adult **Richie**. It's a perfect choice :) Gah! Plus, imagining **Bill Hader** and **Hayley Atwell** ( **Gwen's** adult face-claim) as brother and sister is just awesome! The actor **Jay Ryan** is going to play older **Ben Hanscom.** Which is great! I know people wanted **Chris Pratt** for adult **Ben** but I think **Jay Ryan** will do amazing! __Then adding to this great news actor_ ** _Andy Bean_** _has been cast to play adult_ ** _Stan Uris_** _and_ ** _James R_** ** _ansone_** _is going_ _to play_ ** _Eddie K_** ** _aspbrak_** ** _._** _I don't know about you guys, but I think that's perfect casting too! **James Ransone does** look like an older **Jack Dylan Grazer.** Also, I can totally imagine the actor **Andy Bean** as adult **Stanley Uris** and sharing scenes with **Hayley Atwell** as older **Gwen**. I mean I can picture those two talking intimately with each other when they're older. Omg then angst and romance! ^.^ Now all we have to do is wait for who's going to be cast as older **Mike** **Hanlon** to finally complete **The Losers Club.** The hype and anticipation just has me even more hype for **IT:Chapter Two!** ^.^_

 ** _*Please read what's below for a bit of clarification*_**

 _I binged watched **season 2** of **13 Reasons Why** last week or so and once finishing it I was left in an emotional state. Seeing the actor **D**_ ** _ylan Minnette_** _return to play **Clay** **Jensen** just reminded me how much the character of **Chase Campbell** means to me...or more specifically what he means for **Gwen**. Even though **Chase** wasn't in the story for that long the mentions of him through out the story really cause emotions to rise. As we all know the reason why **Chase's** unexpected death affected **Gwen** so greatly was because he was the first boy she really ever liked. She had been quietly liking him for a while and for that reason alone __I think the feelings she felt for **Chase** will always remain in someway, but she's going to find the strength to finally move on...as you will read in this chapter and the next one. __However, now that she's learned that **Chase's** death wasn't a suicide and that he was actually killed by **IT,** **Gwen** is going to be even more cautious with having romantic feelings for anyone else because she knows the consequences and she doesn't want anyone else to die like **Chase** because of her. Which is terrible because as we read in the last chapter __**Gwen** finally realized her feelings for **Stan** and his feelings for her. Needless to say she's going to be incredibly stubborn to act upon those feelings for **Stan**...which of course just brings more angst and drama. Especially once we head into **IT:Chapter Two.** So yeah be ready for lots and lots of tears...just a warning for the second part of this tragic/friendship/love/horror of a story._

 _ **P.S.** I don't own the songs used in this chapter. Also I originally had planned on releasing his chapter within one day of me just writing my heart away but that didn't end up happening for a number of reasons. The main one being that I wrote this chapter while having a massive annoying headache that's caused because of this toothache I have (I really need to go to the dentist but I'm so scared to go) -.- So I apologize for any spelling errors. I'll fix them later._

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 _"When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind." — Patrick Rothfuss_

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 **Chapter** _ **21: Growing up is a hard thing to do**_

Richie's assumption of there being no after party had been correct. Everything that was _supposed_ to follow the Bar Mitzvah ceremony was immediately cancelled the moment Stan left the synagogue. Right after the spectacle he made. Which was a scene that kept playing over and over again in Gwen's head. Like a damn record player...or should she say movie.

Now Gwen did not see Stan again since leaving the synagogue with her mom and Richie. She really had no idea where the curly haired boy had wandered off to. She could only hope that he was okay. It was probably silly to think perhaps all he really needed at the moment was time by himself. Away from his strict parents _—_ more so his father. So time to cool down. Get his emotions in check. Gwen recognized that feeling and could understand. However, Gwen doubted time by himself would make the feelings Stan had for her (feelings she had now barely recognized) would magically disappear. Gwen could only hope they would though because as she had come to comprehend, Stan having feelings for her (romantic ones at that) meant an awful fate for him. Especially since she now returned those romantic feelings back too. And it was a fate that she deeply worried would end up much like Chase's. With his wrists slashed and bloody. Gwen certainly did not want that to happen to Stan...she cared way too _much_ for him to let that happen. The Tozier girl did not want the curly hair boy to suffer. In her eyes Stan was too pure...innocent. He did not deserve that kind of ending. He deserved to live a long and happy life.

Her worry for Stan and her anger towards herself for actually _liking_ him back left the fifteen year old in a downhearted mood when she finally arrived home. Luckily she didn't have an audience to see her in such a mood. At the moment, she was by herself. Maggie right away had gone off to visit one her her close friends, not even bothering to change out of her formal wear. Gwen knew her mother was going to gossip about what happened at the Bar Mitzvah. Just like how she imagined everyone else was going to do. Though unlike the others, Gwen highly doubted her mother was going to bring up the part of Stan looking at her with heartfelt eyes at his last statement before running off.

Maggie didn't have to say anything in order for Gwen to know that she didn't at all approve with what Stan said at the synagogue. The car ride home had been really awkward to say the least because they all knew of the curly haired boys feelings towards Gwen. Every now and then her mother would glance at the ring she was wearing. However, whenever Maggie came close to making a comment, Richie intervened. So thankfully no questions regarding where Gwen got that ring were brought up. Despite the tension in the air, Gwen didn't really dwell on it mainly because she was too into her own crestfallen mood and also because she didn't care whether or not her mother approved.

Now unlike their mother, Richie was more than happy to change out of his formal wear once they got home. Putting on his usual outfit that consisted of a t-shirt, jeans, old worn shoes, and one of his many tacky Hawaiian button ups. When asked where he was going, Gwen was relieved to hear him actually respond back, saying he was going to the arcade. When Gwen heard this she right away wanted to ask if she could tag along but before she was able to let out another word, Richie had already closed the door behind him. At first Gwen was hurt, but she told herself that perhaps going with him was not such a good idea. She was after all in a blah mood, and she didn't her own mood to bring Richie down too.

So Gwen stayed behind.

There was a positive side to this. Since Gwen was the only person at the house right now she decided now would be a good time to look for her Turtle necklace again. She thought back to what _IT_ said at the Neibolt house. How the Turtle wasn't able to save her now. Gwen had no idea what that meant but it made her even more determined to find her necklace. After changing out of her dress and putting on her own clothes of comfort, Gwen straight away went to her parents room. Although she had already checked her parents room she decided a second go wouldn't be such a bad idea. Who knows maybe she had missed something from the first time she had looked?

Walking into her parents room the first thing Gwen did was search through their clothing drawers. In the first top three there was nothing but just clothes. Which was nothing out of the ordinary. However, it was the _last_ drawer on the right side that had Gwen immediately frowning at what she found. A half full bottle of Bourbon. _Ah shit._ Gwen stared at the said item in her hands with an upset gaze. Despite her harrowing feelings this was not at all surprising to find. The bottle hadn't been here the last time she looked but she knew it belonged to her mother. Gwen _knew_ that for certain. Her father rarely ever drank, and when he did drink he would just have a simple beer brand (coolers even). Unlike her mother who really favored Bourbon. Gwen didn't like it whenever her mother drank (which was more than she liked to admit). Except by now Maggie was pretty good at hiding whenever she was tipsy. She was a classy woman after all (or at least that's what she liked to say). Maggie knew better than to be intoxicated in front of others beside her family members. It was this knowledge that allowed Gwen to push down her upset feelings. Now wasn't the time to dwell on her mother's issues with alcohol. The fifteen year old meticulously put the bottle exactly where she had found it. Except she had too focused on putting the bottle back to where it was that she failed to notice the oncoming foot steps.

"What are you doing?" Wentworth asked his daughter. His eyes were slightly narrowed in curiousness.

Gwen jumped in place as she closed the drawer. She straighten her posture as she turned to face her father. He was leaning on the wall beside the rooms entrance. Even though he was no longer wearing his dentist coat over his normal clothes, Gwen knew for sure he had come back from work. The tired look he had on just confirmed that. She thought that perhaps he would get home late since she knew how much he liked taking his time, but it appeared today wasn't one of those days. She severely _hoped_ that he hadn't seen her with the bottle. The last thing she wanted was to be lectured by her father. Although if given the choice she'd preferred her father to lecture her over her mother. The lack of anger on his face reassured Gwen that maybe he hadn't seen her with the bottle.

Gwen continued her staring before giving her dad an awkward smile. "I'm just trying to find my Turtle necklace." She tried nonchalantly explaining to him.

Despite still having that nagging doubt that her father wouldn't believe her, Gwen was once again relieved to see Wentworth take her response. He nodded his head. "Well it's not in here." Wentworth tiredly said to her.

Gwen frowned when she heard her father say that. "How do you know?"

Wentworth's dark brown eyes landed onto her own. "Because I've tried finding it myself." He simply informed his daughter as if it were no big deal. "Trust me it's not in here."

Now that certainly surprised the fifteen year old. Gwen couldn't help but gawk at her father. "You tried looking for it?" She was in disbelief that her father actually took time to find something that belonged to her. It's not that she thought he was mean or anything but she always thought he'd use his free time to avoid her, Richie, and her mother. Guess she was wrong there because apparently he had done something else than just avoid them...he had tried finding her necklace.

"Yeah." Wentworth answered shrugging his shoulders. "I know how much that necklace means to you." The main reason he knew this was because he always saw her wearing it and as he'd come to know his daughter usually wasn't one to wear jewelry. Aside from the necklace, and it now seemed that she was wearing a ring. A ring he had no idea where she gotten it from...much like he didn't know where she had gotten that silver Turtle necklace. What he did know was that the necklace meant something to her. And he had a feeling that this new ring she had on now meant something to her as well.

Gwen blinked a few times, still in heavy disbelief. "Um, well, thanks for trying." She answered once passing through her surprised state. The stare she had on her father became soft. Even though he hadn't found her necklace the fact that he actually tried to find it left Gwen with a fuzzy warm feeling.

Wentworth appeared to be sheepish having heard that. It wasn't often that his daughter would say something like that or even look at him with that soft stare of hers. In a way this sadden him, but he forced himself to not dwell on such feelings. It was after all mainly his fault for why he was so distant from both his children. "Don't mention it." He answered trying to sound nonchalant. He quickly cleared his throat. "So, how did the Bar Mitzvah go?" He asked still sounding a bit sheepish as he moved on with the conversation. He took notice that she wasn't wearing a dress or anything close to formal wear. Gwen was wearing dark jean shorts, her usual black shoes, and a _Queen_ band t-shirt. Maggie never liked her style of clothing but he himself never saw anything wrong with the way his daughter dressed. A few seconds passed and Wentworth saw Gwen's eyes falter from her soft gaze. He rapidly took this as his own fault. "You know I would have gone, but something came up at work."

 _Something always comes up at work._ Gwen bitterly thought. She was quick to push down any disposed feelings she had towards his absence _._ "Well..." She trailed off ready to tell him about the recent event that took place not that long ago. "It was going smoothly up until the end. Stan got mad at his dad and he basically told him off."

Wentworth's usual dry and firm demeanor fell apart as he let out a whistle. "Yikes, that must have been quite a scene." He knew personally how rigorous Donald Uris was. So having his one and only son cause a scene at the synagogue of all places must have not been something he appreciated. Wentworth also knew Stanley fairly well, and the young Jewish boy wouldn't act out carelessly _unless_ there had been a good reason to. He figured his father must have done or said something to him to really push him over the edge.

"Yeah it was...but you know what?" Gwen's dark eyes brighten up. The same admiration she had for Stan at the synagogue was present again. It began increasing now as she spoke with her father about the curly haired boy's actions. "I thought it was awesome." She admitted to her father.

A small smile sneaked up on Wentworth's face from hearing her use that particular word. "I'm sure it was awesome." He told his daughter. "Whatever the reason for why Stan acted out, I'm glad he stood his ground."

"Me too." Gwen mumbled feeling her cheeks heat up. She once again had the scene with Stan looking at her with those adoring eyes play in her mind. The danger of him liking her and her liking him back at the moment was put on hold as she got the courage to talk to her father. "It got me thinking." She said, more loudly.

Wentworth tilted his head. "Thinking about what?" He was curious to what his daughter had to say based on the earnest tone she had on.

" _Love_." Gwen whimsically breathed out.

Wentworth was beyond puzzled by that. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Your friend Stan standing up to his father made you think about love?" There was a pause before he let out a chuckle. "That's...highly unusual." He added after composing himself again. Despite his amusement he was also very muddled. Gwen wasn't one to ever bring up the topic of love with him...or with anyone else. He's never took his daughter for being interested in romance. The only person he _thought_ she had liked was the Campbell boy but after his passing that way of thinking shut down for him. So why the sudden interest with love?

"Maybe." Gwen whispered not at all affected by his response. She did however become shy with what she wanted to ask him now. "Can I ask you a question?"

Wentworth was thrown back that Gwen actually wanted to ask _him_ something. He had no idea what she wanted to ask but he found himself eagerly nodding his head. "Sure, what is it?"

The question she was about to ask was a sensitive one and random, but it was a question she had to ask. Gwen needed to hear his answer. "Do you love mom?"

Wentworth's reply was quick and mundane. "Of course I love her."

 _How about I rephrase that question._ Gwen steadied her gaze right onto her father's eyes again. "Are you still _in_ love with mom?"

Silence.

This time there was no fast reply.

Wentworth didn't need to flat out say no because his solemn expression was enough of an answer for Gwen. In a way she already knew that would be the final answer. That however didn't level out any emotional despair she was feeling. It wasn't easy to hear (or in this case not hear) that her father was no longer in love with her mother. They were her parents. They were supposed to love each other. That's why they got married and had her and Richie. If they no longer loved each other then why the hell were they still together? Why not just get a divorce? Was is just to please Richie and her? Or was this because of that whole perfect image her mother Maggie was so bent on maintaining?

Gwen _needed_ to know.

"If you no longer love her then why are you two still together?" Gwen asked trying her hardest to keep her voice steady.

This time it was Wentworth's turn for his dark eyes to soften. Hearing his daughter ask this touched an emotional part in him that he had buried away a long time ago. Seeing Gwen's downcast form had him remembering a series of memories he had of her when she had been a lot younger. The first memory being a happy one when he had given her that stuffed bear she had amusingly named Mr. Snuggles. It was one of the few birthday gifts Wentworth put time and effort into finding for her, and it amazed him that she still had the bear. His memories then took a bitter sweet turn as he now remembered when she was born. Wentworth had never told Gwen or Richie about this but Maggie's pregnancy with Gwen hadn't been the best. In fact, it was straight out complicated and very stressful. There was even a certain point during the pregnancy that Maggie had almost lost Gwen entirely. However, it seemed that luck was on there side because Gwen miraculously survived the complications that Maggie had been having.

Maggie always believed that it was God answering her prayers to save her baby. Wentworth on the other hand assumed it was plain luck. Although being raised Methodist himself over the years his views on religion had lessened and they weren't as strong as they used to be. Not like Maggie's. So whatever the reason for Gwen's survival, he was just thankful.

Wentworth remembered how relieved both he and Maggie had been. Holding his daughter for the first time he couldn't imagine how he would have ever been able live a life without her in it. A newborn baby with a mop of dark hair...just like his own. Not blonde hair like her mother's and dark eyes that reflected his own as well. He remembered the first time Gwen walked, laughed, and actually spoke for the first time. He also remembered when Richie was born two years later after Gwen.

Now Wentworth and Maggie never told either of their children this, but they weren't on planning on having a second child. After the complications Maggie had with Gwen the older woman didn't want to go through that again. Alas...she got pregnant a second time. Wentworth didn't like thinking back to the day Maggie found out she was pregnant with Richie because they had a pretty nasty argument. It was an argument Wentworth hated to bring up with his wife let alone think about because the idea of abortion was brought up. Wentworth was all for free choice but when it came to getting rid of his baby...he couldn't go through with it and thankfully neither did Maggie. And so, Richie was born.

Wentworth had to admit that he had been so happy when his second child was born...a boy just like himself. He felt like his family was now complete. A daughter and a son. He was actually happy. Maggie had been happy too...for a little while. Happiness never seemed to last long for them. The love Wentworth once had for Maggie (a love he had since freshmen year of High School) started to melt away as the rest of years passed by. Some may assume that just because they had kids together that they would still be in love with each other but that wasn't the case with Maggie and Wentworth. No matter how much they wanted it to be they sadly no longer were in love. There was no spark...nothing. Their marriage had become an everyday routine and it was one they didn't want to end because of how accustomed they have become with one another. The only thing they had in common anymore were their children...but even the relationship they had with them now (if it could even be called that) was practically nonexistent.

It felt like a life time before Wentworth was able to speak. He no longer was leaning against the wall but had walked to stand in front of his daughter. He thought that he needed to be closer to her with what he needed to say. His dark eyes stared down into her own...who looked just as sad as his now. "Don't get me wrong I still care for your mother." He solemnly admitted to his daughter. "It's just..." He sighed and gave her a defeated expression. "Gwen, there's something you need to know and I feel now is the best time to tell you." He gave her the most serious expression he has ever given her. It was both heartbreaking and revealing. "Gwen." He said, his voice wavering. "Everything in life eventually comes to an end...even love."

His words felt like a punch to her gut. And they were words Gwen took to heart. She didn't say anything back to her dad, just nodded her head. Wentworth could see how his words affected Gwen even despite her silence. He could see how her eyes were glistening and face was starting to get slightly red from wanting to cry but he didn't say anything relating to that. He hated himself for causing her this sadness but his daughter had asked about the relationship between him and her mother and she deserved to know the truth. If it had been Richie who asked, Wentworth would have told him the exact same thing. Everything in life eventually comes to an end, love being no exception.

In an attempt to make her feel better (but failing), Wentworth put a hand on one of her shoulders. This comforting act just made Gwen want to cry even more but she restrained herself from doing so. She quickly excused herself out of the room leaving Wentworth alone. The older man sighed and ran a hand through his dark locks. He muttered something to himself shaking his head before he went into the conjoined bathroom the master bedroom had.

When the door closing echoed, that was when Gwen came back into the bedroom. She stared at the closed bathroom door with steady eyes before they shifted towards the drawers. Or more specifically the bottom drawer on the right side. There was a small voice inside of her that told her not to do what she wanted to do...but there was another voice that told her to do it. Grab said item and run. For a moment there the righteous side of her was taking over but then she remembered what her father said. Her father who would years from now die of cancer of the larynx. An event that would leave her more greatly emotionally wounded during her adult years. Except at the moment (during her teen years) despite never saying she loved him, what he said left an impact on her. Gwen supposed because of that young scared mind of hers that maybe he was right. Which just left her even more emotionally scarred towards the topic of love. It was this thought process that made her listen to that small careless voice. Completely ignoring the other one.

Gwen solemnly stared at the drawer that had the bottle inside. She then made the decision to open the drawer and grab the bottle of bourbon. A decision that would mark the beginning of her own alcoholic issues that would follow into her adult years.

* * *

 _Forever young, I want to be forever young_  
 _Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever?_  
 _Forever young, I want to be forever young_  
 _Do you really want to live forever? Forever young_

Gwen without any ounce of joy sang along to the lyrics of _Forever Young_ by _Alphaville._ Before leaving her house with her mother's bottle of Bourbon she grabbed her Walkman. The teen was determined to listen to music as she drank away her depressed feelings. Gwen had never gotten drunk before but she imagined it wouldn't take long. Bourbon after all was a very strong alcoholic drink. And she was proven more right after just taking a few sips. Feeling that strange buzz growing within her had her understanding why her mother liked this specific choice of alcoholic beverage. Bourbon left a very warm and funny feeling in her tummy. It was a feeling Gwen would grow to like more and more as she continued to drink over the years.

Now for a moment there as she continued to sing away she felt a source of clarity run through her. Gwen was relieved that she wasn't on any of her medications. She had stopped taking her antidepressants a while ago and she recently ran out of her ADHD medication. Gwen knew that she'd eventually have to get a refill on those. Her mother would make her once she saw the empty bottle.

That moment of responsibility soon went away. Her buzz took full control making Gwen care less about her health. The teen just had a high need to get drunk and forget about all the shit she has seen and heard. Without any ounce of shame about being seen, Gwen at this second was laying down on the grassy filed of Derry's public park. The now almost empty bottle of Bourbon sat next to her. She had her eyes closed and had on her Walkman. _Forever young_ still playing.

Gwen's worry about being seen was practically nonexistent. There was no one at the park. Which really didn't surprise Gwen. Hardly any kids ever visited the park anymore once the sun was going down. The missing disappearance being the reason. Was it stupid for her to stay out doors given everything with _IT_? Especially since she was alone and drunk...defenseless? Yes, it was but Gwen was just too drunk to think about her own safety. If _IT_ suddenly came out and attacked her then so be it...she was too out of it to even care.

Besides, _IT_ wasn't the only thing she thinking about. Her dad's word echoed in her head again. Despite being drunk the words came out perfectly clear and she was able to understand them.

 _"Everything in life eventually comes to an end...even love."_

Gwen scoffed. She took another gulp from the bottle of Bourbon...finally finishing it. She grimaced feeling her throat burn once more. Although the alcohol left a burn it was a feeling she was starting to enjoy. She set the bottle aside as she then thoroughly thought about what her dad said.

What was love anyways?

Oh yeah...turns out love was a fucking tragedy.

Finally finding out that her dad no longer was in love with her mom hurt Gwen a lot. She had been aware that they weren't close to one another but she had no idea the love between them was completely gone. Gwen from a young age had this thought that married couples were supposed to stay in love with each other forever. That's why they got married in the first place...because of their strong feelings. Except now she knew the truth...nothing lasted forever...not even love. Gwen found herself thinking about one of her favorite movies. _The Breakfast Club._ There was a scene in that movie that now stood out to her. It was the scene when _Ally Sheedy's_ character of _Allison_ says, " _When you grow up, your heart dies._ " That quote heavily affected Gwen now because she now understood the real meaning behind it. _Ally Sheedy's_ character had a point. Oh yes she did.

Gwen quickly found herself thinking about adulthood...and how much she didn't want to become an adult anymore. Not after what her dad said to her. Gwen didn't want to have the same life as her parents. She did not want to be like her mom or dad in the slightest. This made Gwen no longer want to get married and have kids of her own (not that she ever really thought about it). No matter how much she cared for her significant other.

 _Stan_.

Gwen shook her head causing her Walkman headphones to fall off her ears. She didn't reach for the headphones as she opened her eyes. Gwen slowly got up in to sitting position, feeling dizzy. Even in her drunken state she knew of the dire consequence if she openly accepted her feelings for Stan. Actually agreeing to be with him would be a death sentence for the curly haired boy. She needed to stay away from him...she had to.

"Wow, this is an interesting sight to see."

If Gwen had been sober she probably would have acted shocked from hearing such a familiar male voice. Except given her drunken state, Gwen acted slow and foolish. A sloppy smile appeared on her face. "Hey, _you_!" She exclaimed as she saw Victor Criss standing a few feet away from her. The Tozier girl tried getting up to properly greet him but she found herself falling back to a sitting position.

Victor who at first had been amused was now concerned at seeing the full drunken state Gwen was in. He had never seen her like this. The sleek white-blonde haired boy wasn't one to dislike alcohol (having partaking in getting wasted before), but seeing his crush so out of it had him disliking alcohol so much at the moment. He found himself frowning. "Shit, you're so wasted." He said confirming what was already obvious out-loud.

Gwen ignored his comment and instead gave him a bemused look. Her smile faltering a bit. "What are you doing here, Victor? Vic? Vicky?" She suddenly giggled after saying the last name. Her smile returning again. "Hehe, _Vicky._ I like the sound of that."

If it had been anyone else to call him that ridiculous nickname Victor would have made his anger and annoyance well known. However, this was Gwen...despite not liking being called Vicky he let his annoyance pass. He wondered what had caused her to get drunk out in the open. He figured it had to be something bad to have caused this. "This is where I usually come here to think or to get away from the public." Victor honestly admitted to her. "Which I guess is kind of funny considering this is the public park." At first he did find it unusual that there was no one here but he quickly came to the conclusion is was because of the all the missing kids. The park was no longer deemed as safe as anymore. Yes he still came here by himself but in his mind he was more than capable of taking care of himself if things went south.

Gwen took what he said and twisted it a bit. "Ah...so in other words you're still hiding from Henry." Despite Victor telling her he had distancing himself from Henry and Belch, she couldn't understand why he wouldn't permanently cut ties with them...especially with Henry. Her hyperactive tendencies mixed with her drunken state made her blunt side more powerful for her to control. "I don't get it. Why not just end your friendship with with them? Henry is such a _fucktard_ and Belch...well he lacks serious manners. I mean, burping in peoples' faces? Ugh." Gwen was about to slip up and mention Patrick but her nerves stopped her from doing so. Even drunk she was still too scared to talk about Patrick Hockstetter. If she were with any of the other Losers she would have talked but this was Victor. Despite the progress she had made with the sleek white-blonde haired boy she didn't feel strong enough to speak about Patrick with him.

What Gwen said had Victor sighing. "It's a lot harder than you think." He said to her. "I can't just drop Henry." He had been putting distance but he hadn't yet put an official end to their unusual friendship...and there was a reason for that. A reason being more than just fear from Victor's part.

"Because you're afraid of him." Gwen retorted.

Victor harden his expression a bit. Was he afraid of Henry? Any sane person would be...but he couldn't openly admit that to Gwen at the moment. Call it being prideful or whatever. "No, because as much as I want to deny it he is my friend." He argued. A few seconds passed before his expression soften somewhat. "Yes, he's deranged. That's something that everyone should know by now...but I've been his friend for years. I can't dump him like nothing. That would mean every single second I spent with him and Belch was basically for nothing." He purposely left out Patrick because he never really considered the dark haired boy a friend. "That our friendship meant nothing. If I were to end things I need to do it slowly but surely." Victor would eventually cut ties with Henry...just not yet. He'd still want to be close with Belch. Even with his faults, Belch was a definitely a lot better than Henry. Even if he lacked manners. Belch still had something in him that could be saved. Victor sadly couldn't say the same thing for Henry. All the goodness in Henry was beaten out of him thanks to that abusive father of his.

There was a stare off between Gwen and Victor. Even drunk, Gwen maintained good eye contact with him. As this happened Gwen processed everything he said. She was able to fight off her drunkenness to give an actual well rounded response. "Alright, I get it." She said surprising Victor by how serious she sounded. For a second there he forget that she was drunk but then she let a small laugh...ending the earnest moment they were having.

His concern for Gwen returned. "Anyways..." Victor trailed off as he decided to take a seat next to her. "What has Gwen Tozier drinking her feelings away?" He asked curious, and also because he wanted to keep the conversation going.

Gwen turned to look at him. Some of her dark locks got in the way. She used her hands to push them away and then sighed. Her drunkenness and depression were coming out to play. "Because life sucks. What's the point of it anyways?" Her voice wavered now. "Everything comes to an end...life...happiness... _love_. Why even bother to live life to fullest as everyone says? Or to find happiness and love? It's just going to come crashing down anyways."

Victor found himself looking at the dark haired girl with a sad expression. He knew Gwen had depression along with ADHD but he had never heard her speak so... _dejected_. Like she was giving up. He tried to blame the alcohol doing the speaking. After all when he was drunk he said some pretty sad and stupid things. Except something told him that Gwen was being completely genuine with what she was saying. He however refused to believe she actually felt this way. It just really didn't seem like her. Or perhaps he didn't want to accept her true dispirited persona. He preferred her hyperactive character. The one were she would smile, laugh that dorky laugh of hers and spit out nonsense. That was the girl who he had feelings her. "That's very pessimistic way of thinking. Didn't take you one for the negative outlook on life." He said in hopes to lighten the situation. Despite not liking her being sad and drunk he could sense there was more to the story towards her drunken state.

Gwen scoffed at what he said. After the things she's seen and heard, how could she not have a pessimistic outlook on life? "Well didn't you know?" She asked giving him a tight smile. "I have depression. I'm just a major emotional mess."

She was smiling now but it wasn't an honest smile. The smile also wasn't one Victor found himself liking. It just made him more concerned for her and made him even more curious.

"Do you want some?" Gwen suddenly asked moving to grab the bottle next to her. She completely forgot that she already finished it.

Victor frowned a bit and shook his head. "No."

"Come on, I know you want some." Gwen said now waving the bottle at him.

Victor gently pushed the bottle away. "No thanks. I'm not much of a drinker." He eyed the bottle that was now on the ground. "Besides, it's empty."

Gwen scoffed again completely ignoring the last thing he said. "That's the biggest lie I've ever heard." She said referring to him not being a drinker. "I've seen you drink before with your old _pals_. Don't deny it... _.you're_ a drinker."

So she had seen him drink before? Victor should have known this. Victor and the others had never been scared to drink out in public. No one ever intervened or said shit to them. Guess they were to afraid to because of Henry...and at one point because of Patrick. "Okay, fine." He mused narrowing his eyes at her carefully. "But by the looks of it you're not. This your first time getting drunk, huh?"

Gwen let out a round of giggles. "No, I know how to handle my alcohol thank you very much."

Her giggling just proved that she was not a frequent drinker. Victor's gaze on her become soft. "Seriously though..." He trailed off determined to know what was wrong with her. "What has you wallowing?"

Gwen stared at Victor, her giggling coming to a halt. She contemplated on whether she should tell Victor the real truth as to why she had gotten drunk. At one point in time Gwen would have never spoken so openly with Victor...but things have changed. They were becoming friends. Something in her said she could trust him...so she told him the truth. Or at least part of the truth. There was no connection yet between Victor and Gwen to make her tell him about... _IT_.

"I found out that someone likes me." She softly confessed to him.

Victor felt his heart beat race when she said this. "You got drunk off your ass because you found out someone likes you?" There was hope that she might have been talking about him. If it was then it sadden him that she got drunk...but the joy of her finally knowing of his feelings for her excited him enough to surpass his concern. "So, who's the guy?" He decided to personally ask her.

"Stan."

Victor heart broke a little when he heard Gwen's answer. He knew it was too good to be true. "Figures it would be him." He muttered. Of course it was Stanley Uris. The curly haired boy much like Chase was completely in love with Gwen. She had been to oblivious of his feelings. Victor hoped it would have stayed that way but something must have happened to cause Gwen to become aware of Stan's feelings for her.

Gwen still heard him. She fixed her gaze onto him again. "How'd you figured that?"

Victor rolled his eyes. She was so oblivious. "Ah, because of the way he looks at you." It's the same way Victor would look at her and how Chase used to look at her as well. In complete adoration. "Also how he defended you during the rock fight. Raising his voice at Henry. That's probably the first and only time I've seen and heard him lose his up-tight demeanor."

Gwen lowered her eyes. Not really taking what he said seriously. Although she did remember the warm feeling she got in her cheeks when Stan stood up for her. "Well, I was still shocked."

Victor laughed a bitter laugh. "Of course you were." There was silence between them before Victor spoke up again. "I don't know what you see in that kid."

Gwen's eyes widen and she felt the blush rush to her cheeks. "W-What?"

"It's obvious that you like him back." Victor bluntly said to her. Having Gwen know about Stan's feeling and not his own had Victor acting out. Except what hurt him even more was that he knew Gwen liked Stan back. It probably wouldn't have hurt if Gwen had never known about Stan's feeling...but now she did. He knew now that he'd never be able to have a chance with Gwen Tozier.

"What makes you assume that?" Gwen asked. Now that the conversation was getting more intense it seemed like she was sobering up.

Victor shrugged his shoulders trying his best to not appear hurt...even though he was. "I just know. The same way I knew you liked Chase."

The mention of Chase had Gwen returning back to her drunken hurt self. Her anger got the better of her this time and she found herself glaring at Victor. The immature side of her was now speaking. Not at all rational. "You keeping track of my love life or something?" She almost lost herself in tears and false laughter when she said that. What love life? She had no love life. None what so ever...and she never would.

Her glare and angered tone did not bother Victor. He just have her a disappointed look. "You really don't know?" He asked lowly.

The look he had on made Gwen lessen her attitude. "Know what?"

"How haven't you figured it out yet?" Victor asked in disbelief. A tint of sadness could be heard in his tone of voice. She knew of Stan's feelings...how could she not know about his own?

Gwen however was still too confused. "Figured what out?" She questioned, frowning.

Victor had on a expression between amusement and disbelief. "You're so fuckin' oblivious. How can you be so damn oblivious?" He let out a sigh and his eyes soften once they landed on her dark ones. "I like you damn it." He said finally being honest with her. "I've liked you for a while now."

Cue awkward silence.

Gwen stared at Victor now in utter shock. Victor Criss liked her? Why hadn't she figured this out for herself? Had her feelings for Chase blinded sided Victor's crush on her? Of course they did. The silence finally ended with what Gwen said next. "Oh...well shit." She whispered sheepishly. Instantly she started to think back to the times Victor had defended her from his gang of friends. Due to being drunk she could only remember a few memories at the moment but it was enough to confirm Victor's confession. He really did like her. Damn. She started to worry over Victor safety because having someone like her was not a good thing. However, she didn't worry as much as she did with Stan because despite Victor being helpful to her throughout the years and now becoming a sort of friend to her, Gwen just didn't have romantic feelings towards Victor. Despite this being a good thing she couldn't help but feel bad. Bad because Victor had done so much for her...and here she was unable to return those feelings. In order to sooth her guilt, she just kept telling herself that not liking Victor was for his own good. "I-I-I don't know what to say." Gwen eventually said. Which was the truth because she had no freakin' idea what to say to him. It wasn't like she was able to tell him the truth as to why it was a good thing she didn't like him back.

Victor continued to stare intently at her before he found his own voice again. "It doesn't matter. It's not like you and me ever stood a chance anyways. You were too into Chase, and now you're too into Stan."

Gwen was able to compose herself after he said this. She harden his stare and voice. "Stan may like me but I don't like him." She forced herself to say out-loud. It hurt to say that but she had to.

Victor didn't believer her one bit. Gwen could deny it all she wanted but her feelings for Stan were there and they were strong. He decided to challenge her on this as a way to prove his point. It was a silly plan but it was one he would he still go through with asking. "Alright, then kiss me." He said staring into her dark eyes.

This made Gwen's eyes widen a bit. She sobered up well enough to get out a shocked response. "Excuse me?" She questioned, slack-jawed.

Victor looked passed her shocked state. "If you're not really into Stan then kiss me." He repeated more solemnly. Although he asked her to kiss him he didn't think actually she was going to do it. No matter how much he wanted her to. A few seconds passed and Gwen did nothing, causing him to give her a knowing look. "See, you can't because you like _—_ "

Before Victor was able to finish his sentence a pair of soft lips pressed against his slightly chapped ones. He instantly closed his eyes, basking the feeling. He knew the right thing to do was to put a stop to the kiss. Gwen was drunk and obviously not in the right state of mind...but the feeling of her lips against his own clouded his mind. He had dreamt (more than once) of what it felt like to be kissed by Gwen Tozier...and now here she was actually kissing him. This was his first kiss and it was with her. She was kissing him. He felt like he could die a happy man now. It didn't take long for him to respond back to her kiss.

The kiss for Victor was beyond blissful. Unfortunately the same thing could not be said for Gwen...at least not right away.

Gwen had never kissed anyone before. So because of her inexperience the kiss was awkward, as any first kiss would be. She knew based from the books she's read and movies she's watched that many people described their first kiss as something magical and one of a kind. However, here she was kissing Victor and there was nothing extraordinary happening. There were no fireworks playing in her mind. Her best friend Francine had told her that when she had her first kiss that she saw fireworks. Gwen didn't see any.

The truth was that the kiss between Victor and her was just physical not emotional. At least for her. Never in a million years did Gwen think that her first kiss would be with Victor Criss. But that challenge of his got to her...and she acted without fully thinking things through. She'd blame the alcohol for making her do this. The only person Gwen had thought about being her first kiss (and wanted) was Chase. That's why it would have made sense for Gwen to imagine Chase when kissing Victor. Even if it was messed up to think about someone else during a kiss, Gwen couldn't help her thoughts. Except as she continued to kiss Victor her mind didn't imagine Chase as she thought she would. In her mind she was now kissing someone else. Except it wasn't the blue eyed boy. No...Gwen was thinking about someone else...someone else who had light brown eyes instead of blue. A person who had curly hair and had a love for birds.

 _Stan_.

The moment Stan entered her mind was when Gwen started to finally enjoy the kiss. It became more than something physical because it was now Stan who she was kissing. The awkwardness that was there went away as Gwen kissed back more ardently. This just caused Victor to return the kiss just as strongly. He gently placed his right hand against one of her cheeks as he melted more and more against her. His extreme closeness is what got Gwen out of her daze. She opened her eyes quickly as she pulled away from Victor.

"Oh crap." Gwen whispered in horror. The horror coming from how she had been imagining kissing Stan instead of Victor. Clearly Victor had been right. She did have feelings for Stan...and they were strong ones. She felt tears start to form in her eyes.

Victor thinking her sudden tears were because of him had him ready to apologize. He felt like hitting himself in the head. He shouldn't have kissed her. Despite how much he liked kissing her, he could see now how she deeply regretted doing so. Before he was even able to say a single word, Gwen got up (this time without falling) and ran off with her Walkman in hand.

Victor let out a curse, angry at himself. He was about to follow her but then decided not to. He figured having him go after her would cause attention around town and he didn't want to cause a scene given how drunk Gwen already was. He didn't like leaving her alone seeing how drunk she was but something in him (a feeling) said that Gwen would be fine. He decided to listen to this feeling. Victor let out a sigh as he laid down on the grass and closed his eyes. He told himself that when he saw Gwen that they would thoroughly talk about happened between them, along with him apologizing for kissing her back during her drunken state.

Sadly Victor didn't know that the next time they would see each other would be under life threatening circumstances.

* * *

Luckily neither of Gwen's parents had caught her arriving home drunk. It had been Richie. Needless to say the bespectacled boy was shocked to see his older sister in such an intoxicated state. This was the first time he had seen Gwen like that, but unknown to him it wasn't going to be the last.

Richie being the caring younger brother that he was put aside the fight they were having and helped Gwen upstairs to her room. He tried his best to not voice his annoyance when Gwen kept giggling and touching his glasses. He just lowly told her to be quiet so their parents wouldn't hear her. Now when asked where Gwen was by Maggie, Richie told their mother that Gwen wasn't feeling well and that she fell asleep. Which in a way was the truth. Richie just didn't mention the Gwen being drunk part. Fortunately for Richie, Maggie bought the lie he told and went along her merry way. Richie then put a blanket over Gwen making sure she was in a comfortable position before he left.

When Gwen woke up the next morning she had a wicked hangover. She was confused at first as to _how_ she ended inside her room, laying in bed. However, it didn't take long for her to finally remember who had brought her to her bedroom. It was the same person left the glass of water on her bed side counter.

 _Richie_.

Gwen now remembered was how Richie had been the one to help her upstairs. She groaned because of the pain but also because she realized just how much of an idiot she had acted with him. She been beyond annoying when Richie had been helping her. Her younger brother should have just left her on the bottom stairs...yet he didn't.

As Gwen thought about how much of a screw up she was, the rest of her cloudy memories from yesterday started to unravel. She remembered drinking the remaining half of the bottle of Bourbon and then willingly _kissing_ Victor Criss. That memory had her cringing hard for two reasons. The first being because of embarrassment (her first kiss had been on a drunken act...how nice) and the second reason was because the kiss with Victor just confirmed that she indeed _like_ Stanley Uris. After she did imagine to be kissing Stan instead of Victor. Her feeling for Stan just became even more profound after that. Which was not a good thing.

Regarding her stupidity of getting drunk it was thankfully not brought up by Richie. When Gwen finally had the strength to get out of bed the following morning she was expecting for Richie to poke fun at her or even reprimand her but to her surprise he did none of those things. He just kept quiet and acted as if it never happened. In a way Gwen was glad for this but she also felt sad because it was like Richie had returned back to giving her the silent treatment. All the progress they made from before broke. She almost wished that he would say something about her getting drunk...but he didn't. So Gwen had no other choice but to follow along. When they were alone during breakfast she did say thank you for helping. However, Richie's response to this didn't make her feel better since all he did was just give her a nod before he averted his attention elsewhere. After that, Gwen mentally promised herself that she wouldn't drink and get drunk again. Sadly that was a promise she would break over and over again throughout the years.

A few days later after her foolish drunken incident, Francine called her.

Gwen was surprised to hear from her. Even despite her best friend saying she would call her throughout the summer no phone calls ever came. Not that it really bothered Gwen. To be honest with everything that had been happening, Gwen had forgotten about Francine. Still, her blonde best friend sincerely apologized about her not calling Gwen sooner. She said that she had a lot of stuff to deal with regarding her grandmother and then family bonding. Hearing this didn't upset the Tozier girl at all. Soon after Francine finished with her apology she went on and on with how the rest of her summer has been going. Gwen tried to listen and get into the conversation she really did but she just couldn't. She would just give half-hearted answers whenever Francine asked questions or opinions from her side. Gwen didn't tell Francine anything that's happened with the Losers and her. Gwen didn't even tell Francine she had her first kiss and that it was with Victor. Which she felt bad about that because Francine had told Gwen when she had her first kiss. It sadden Gwen but the truth was that talking to her bubbly blonde haired best friend no longer felt the same as before. That special connection Gwen had with her others friends (the Losers) wasn't present when speaking with Francine. Was it messed up that Gwen would have preferred if it had been Beverly who called? Or any of the other Losers? Yeah...it was totally messed up.

Gwen's phone call with Francine ended fifteen minutes later. Before hanging up Francine promised she would call again when given the chance. She told Gwen she wanted to sneak in another phone call before returning to Derry. Gwen only hoped that the next time Francine called that she'd be better at acting more joyful when engaging in conversation. She also hoped that when she'd see Francine again that there friendship would remain the same as it was before she left. Except based on the phone call and the nagging feeling inside her stomach she doubted it would be...and that worried her.

Later on the same day that Francine called, Gwen decided that she needed to get out of the house. She had been locking herself in room ever since her drunken incident, telling herself that she was not ready to face the outside world. Although, Gwen at first said this was because she was embarrassed from drinking the truth was that she didn't want to run into Stan. It made her nervous if she were bump into him in the streets of Derry. What if she did see him? What the hell was she supposed to say...or how was she supposed to act? She knew for certain that her word vomit would get the better of her. Her blabber always got the better of her when speaking to someone she liked...and she could no longer deny the fact that she had feelings for Stan.

Gwen knew she couldn't hide in her stuffy bedroom forever. For starters the book she had checked out in June was _so_ over due. Gwen really needed to return that ASAP. Second of all just yesterday Maggie had finally found out that her ADHD medication bottle was empty. Thankfully her mother hadn't found her antidepressants, seeing as it was still full. Nor had she realized yet that her Bourbon was gone. Her mother had not been happy to see her empty ADHD bottle. Maggie ended up telling her in a raised voice to to get a refill. From personal experience, Gwen knew better than to not get her prescribed medication filled. So she also needed to get on that.

Once rejoining the outside world the first place she went to was the library.

Looking around the somewhat full building, Gwen hoped to see a familiar light brown haired boy. To her disappointment she couldn't see Ben anywhere. She felt like face palming herself once she thought things through. If he had been here just what was she going to say to him anyway?

 _"Hey, Ben what's up? How you've been since our friend group broke apart? Great? Oh, well me too."_

Gwen shook her head at how ridiculous she sounded.

With the book in her hands, Gwen sheepishly walked over to where the check out counter was at. Just standing behind the counter was the ever stern Mrs. Starrett. The older woman soon caught sight of the teenager girl along with the book she had and her mood was brought down. She instantly glared at her oncoming figure. "This book is way over due." Was the first thing she said once Gwen stood in front of the check out desk.

Gwen withered under her hard gaze. She set the book on the counter. "Yeah, I know."

"You're gonna have to pay a late fee for this." Mrs. Starrett blandly informed her. Her glare never faltered as she continued to speak.

Gwen sighed. She reached into one of her short pockets taking out the amount she owed. "I figured that would be the case." She set the money on the counter but Mrs. Starrett made no move to grab it. The older woman instead grabbed the book looking over the pages.

Gwen managed to stop her eyes from rolling. "It's not damaged." Mrs. Starrett probably thought she had written all over the inside pages. Which she hadn't. Gwen wasn't that moody insecure girl anymore. Well okay...maybe she still moody and insecure but she would never damage library property again. Gwen had too much respect for books now.

"I'll just have to see for myself." Mrs. Starrett responded not at all stopping her inspection over the book.

"I swear it's not." Gwen insisted stubbornly.

Mrs. Starrett's stern demeanor didn't go away as she continued to look over the book. "Your promise doesn't do anything for me to trust you."

"Fine, waste your time checking then." Gwen muttered.

Mrs. Starrett heard the teen say this. She didn't say anything but her glare did intensify. Her harsh demeanor did settle down a bit after she finished checking the book. She set it aside as she grabbed the money Gwen put on the counter. "It's in good condition." She finally said. Although she didn't necessarily sound happy that Gwen had been right.

Gwen resisted the urge to jump up and down. She did however say what she wanted to say. "I told you."

Mrs. Starrett didn't appreciate that comment. Despite her stare not getting through to Gwen as it did last time, the teen still kept quiet as the older woman spoke now. "I expect for you to return the next book you check out on time." Mrs. Starrett sternly informed. "Otherwise I'm going to take away your library card."

That got a unhappy reaction out of Gwen. Her dark eyes widen when she heard this. "What?! You can't do that!" She shouted completely forgetting that she needed to keep her voice down.

"Lower your voice, Miss Tozier." Mrs. Starrett harshly reprimanded her causing the teen to shut her mouth. "And yes I can. I'm the librarian. Just you try me." She challenged her before walking away.

The urge to yell something back was fighting its way out of her. Fortunately, Gwen was able to stop herself from saying something out-loud. She instead settled with a move that her younger brother would have done if he were in her situation. Was it immature? Yes. Did it really matter? No. Gwen at this point didn't care anymore. Therefore with a glare on her face, Gwen used her right hand and gladly stuck out her middle finger to Mrs. Starrett's retreating figure. She would have _loved_ to have seen Mrs. Starrett's reaction to her flipping her off, but given the power the older woman held over her checking out books, Gwen was fine with her not seeing her. Once she was out of Gwen's view she set her hand down. When Gwen turned around she lost her composure seeing there was a younger girl looking at her with a shocked expression.

Realizing that someone had seen her flip off the librarian, Gwen grew sheepish. She got an awkward smile on her face as she hurriedly passed the younger girl. Hopefully she wouldn't tell Mrs. Starrett about what she saw. If she did...oh well. There wasn't much Gwen could do now but just walk away. As she walked away from the counter Gwen's mind took a tour through her thoughts. The Tozier girl could only hope that later on in the future Derry's public library would get a nice librarian. Not a hard-ass one like Mrs. Starrett. Gwen sighed and ran a hand through her dark locks. She could only hope.

Her thoughts and movements came to a sudden stop when Gwen caught sight of a painting. It was one she had seen many times before but for some reason the painting today caught her _full_ attention. The painting was of a woman wearing pilgrim clothing holding a baby next to a well. She usually thought nothing of this painting since Gwen Tozier didn't see herself as the motherly type (a feeling that would follow her through adulthood), but at the moment the painting brought up a repressed nurturing side within her. That moment didn't last long and despite the painting usually having a tranquil and innocent vibe, it didn't seem so anymore. Not for Gwen. In the past sure but staring at the painting now...really staring at it made Gwen get a weird vibe. Perhaps it had to due with the woman in the painting holding the baby being near a well. Or maybe it had more to do with the encounter she had with _IT_ at the Neibolt house. Gwen's stomach dropped and goosebumps appeared all over her arms as she thought about _IT_. Those terrifying yellow eyes. She felt a shiver go down her back. Thankfully she hadn't seen that entity since Neibolt and her nightmares had been surprisingly non-exist at the moment. However, despite _ITs_ absence Gwen knew the evil entity wasn't gone for good. She had a knowing feeling that it was going to take a lot more than a metal spike in the eye to kill _IT_ for good.

Not wanting to deal with _IT_ at the moment, Gwen shook her head getting back on track. She still needed to go to the pharmacy to get her ADHD medication refill. Taking a deep breath, Gwen looked away from the painting. As she did so the weird feeling she had seconds ago went away. Gwen decided to take the back exit this time as a way to not only avoid the painting but also Mrs. Starrett who had walked near to where she was now.

Due to her exiting through the back entrance, Gwen unfortunately missed Ben who had entered through the front entrance.

Neither of them knew they had been so close to seeing each other ever since the group fell apart.

* * *

As Gwen made her way through town towards Keene Pharmacy, she kept a watchful eye out in case she would run into Stan. It just would have been her luck if she did come face to face with the curly haired boy. So she kept her guard up as she continued her steady walking. When she turned the corner that lead right in front of Keene Pharmacy she could have sworn she saw Mike riding his bike across the farther street from her. Except before she was even able to shout a single word the bike and rider were out from her view. Gwen sighed, once again telling herself what would be the point if she did in fact see him. Mike much like Ben had expressed themselves in not wanting to deal with _IT_ anymore. Still...Gwen wanted to salvage their friendship. Whatever was left of it anyways.

Gwen had been so in thought about the Losers and their recent fall out that she failed to stop herself from bumping into one of them. Before Gwen knew it her body bumped into a small one. Luckily the sudden bump in hadn't been strong enough to knock them down, they just stumbled in place. Gwen quickly steadied herself and then with apologetic eyes looked at the person she had accidentally bumped into.

"I'm so sorry." Gwen rapidly apologized. Her dark eyes immediately soften when she saw just _who_ she had bumped into.

 _Eddie_.

The smaller boy was standing in front of her and was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. Looking at his face she noticed the surprised expression on. After the surprise of running into him wore off, Gwen's attention then went towards the cast he had on. His broken arm. Guilt ran through Gwen seeing him such a real fragile state. When staring back towards his face Gwen saw his expression change. Eddie instead of appearing surprised now had on sad lost look. It immediately made Gwen's concern skyrocket to a new level thinking she had been the cause of this change.

"Eddie? Eds, what's wrong?"

Eddie at the moment couldn't find the nerve to say anything back to her. This had been the first time he's seen her since their fall out and since his mother had said all those _awful_ things to her. Eddie still felt so bad that he had sat in the car and listened to his mother insult Gwen. He lowered his eyes, ashamed and embarrassed as he carefully held his cast towards his chest.

It was this move on his behalf that allowed Gwen a better view of his cast. Gwen frowned once she saw the only writing on the cast that read in big letters: _LOSER_. Anger start to bubble inside of Gwen. Yes, they had called themselves the Losers Club but she knew for a fact that whoever wrote that did it as a way to hurt Eddie. She now looked at him with a firm expression. "Who did that?"

Eddie still couldn't find the use of words. He instead embarrassingly glanced towards the pharmacy that was in front of them.

Gwen followed Eddie's gaze and she soon found said culprit. Looking through one of the pharmacy windows she saw Greta Keene sitting behind the paying the counter reading some girly magazine as she annoyingly chewed on some bubble gum. The dots connected in Gwen's head. She wouldn't put it passed Greta to do something like this. "That bitch." She hissed ready to full on confront her. Gwen though barely took a step forward before Eddie used his good hand to stop her.

"It's okay." Eddie softly said finally able to find his voice. His heart rate increased when he realized he was still holding onto her hand. He quickly let go, trying to compose himself. "Just leave it alone." He begged her. When he saw that Gwen was still staring daggers at Greta through the window he said the first thing that popped into his mind. "Richie told me about what happened at Stan's Bar Mitzvah." He said once again blushing when Gwen directed her gaze onto him. It was no longer an angry stare but a leveled out one. What he said worked because it appeared that Gwen had momentarily forgotten her idea of confronting Greta.

Gwen sighed as she rolled her eyes. Her anger towards the Keene girl went away as she focused on what Eddie said. "Of course he did." After Gwen said this she wondered when Richie had told Eddie this and when he had seen the smaller boy. Just Gwen was about to ask when Richie had told him this, Eddie continued talking.

"It's about time Stan told you the truth about how he feels."

"Well he didn't exactly tell me per say...but it was heavily implied." Gwen said lamely trying her hardest to not blush. Thinking about Stan now had her blushing like crazy. That never used to happen before. Her eyes then widen after fully processing what Eddie said. "Wait, how did _you_ know his feelings for me?" Had Stan told Eddie about his feelings for her?

Eddie laughed. Their conversation was now taking a turn as if there had never been a fall out between them and the others. They were acting like close friends again. "He didn't really need to tell me." He said as if reading her mind. "It was pretty obvious, Gwen."

"Did everyone know about this before me?" Gwen asked rhetorically wanting to face palm herself.

"Uh...yeah." Eddie answered shyly.

Gwen stared at the smaller boy in awe. He was just like Victor. Able to figure out who liked who just based on silent observation. It made Gwen feel like a bigger idiot. "For how long now?" Gwen quietly asked him. She cleared her throat and fixed her question. "For how long has Stan liked me?" Gwen figured it wouldn't hurt to ask Eddie this question. Maybe he did know for how long Stan felt romantically towards her.

Eddie gave Gwen a sad smile. "Since basically forever."

Gwen lowered her eyes. "So, even when I was head over heels for Chase...Stan still had feelings for me?"

"Yeah." Eddie earnestly confirmed.

Gwen felt her heart start to race faster. She lifted her gaze towards Eddie soft brown eyes. "He's liked me for that long?" She asked, her voice wavering from emotion. Even thought she now knew that Stan liked her, Gwen had no idea for how long. Hearing the answer affected her greatly.

"I wouldn't settle with just like." Eddie told her. "I think his feelings for you have surpassed that...by a lot."

"Are you saying that he...?" Gwen trailed off too scared to say the word out-loud. _Love._ She felt a splash joy and absolute horror from learning that Stan was in love with her. Joy because despite her father giving her that eye opening talk, she could't help but feel butterflies when hearing that Stan was in love with her. Her joy was short lived though because Gwen knew the dangers that lurked with having Stan love her.

Eddie at first didn't give the Tozier girl a verbal response, just excitedly nodded his head. Maybe it wasn't right for him to be the one that Stan was in love with her but something within told him that now was the perfect moment to do so. The whole secrecy of Stan's feelings for Gwen had been hidden for far too long now. Everything needed to be out in the open. Which is why Eddie also figured now would be the best time to tell her about his own feelings towards her. He became bashful as he found his voice again. "Gwen, just to let you know, I like you too." He softly admitted to her. His face was bright pink from his blush but that didn't stop him from being honest with her. He gave her a small smile. "Except my feelings for you aren't as strong as Stan's. That's why I think we should just stay as friends, because at the end of the day it's Stan who you should be with."

Gwen stared at the smaller boy in shocked awe. He liked her too? The feelings she had for Chase blinded her from seeing Eddie's feelings for her. Much like with Stan and Victor. However, the instant worry for Eddie's safety didn't invade Gwen with fury. Of course there was a reason for this. Just like with Victor, Gwen didn't have to worry about Eddie the same way she worried about Stan because despite liking Eddie, her feelings for him weren't the same as the ones she had for Stan. In her eyes Eddie was safe from facing the same fate as Chase. Plus, Eddie just basically friend-zoned her with what he just said and that in no way hurt Gwen. It made her feel a little better but not entirely. She couldn't experience full happiness because what Eddie said also caused Gwen to feel sadness. Gwen knew she wouldn't ever be able to end up with Stan. Despite feeling sadness over this the Tozier girl said nothing. She instead hid her conflict and soften features as she gave Eddie a warm smile.

Eddie found himself smiling back feeling as if a weight has been lifted off his chest from finally confessing his feelings. He felt relieved now that Gwen knew the truth and that their friendship wouldn't come to an end just because of some pesky feelings. Eddie fully accepted (as he did a while ago) that Gwen and him were just going to be friends. That was something he was completely fine with. In his mind it was Gwen and Stan who were supposed to end up together. However, now that he got that out of the way there was something else Eddie needed to say to Gwen. He kept his gaze steady even with the shame that was invading within him. "Also, I'm sorry for not defending you." When he saw the small bemused look come across Gwen's face, Eddie decided to elaborate. "For what my mother said to you. I don't want you to think that I have the same opinions that she has on you." Eddie earnestly said to her shaking his head. "Gwen, I want you to know that I in no way think you're trouble or that you're a terrible influence."

Gwen lowered her eyes slightly. Don't get her wrong she appreciated Eddie's apology but after her drunken incident she in no way thought of herself as a good influence. Or maybe she never was to begin with. That's why Gwen never thought she would make a good mother. Sure she did fine interacting with younger people but that wasn't the same as if having kids of her own. Gwen lacked responsibility and she also didn't want to be in charge of another person's life. The thought of failing a innocent life made Gwen nervous. She sighed looking up at Eddie again. "Well, I've come to learn that trouble always tends to find its way towards me." Gwen said sheepishly. _Or I tend to go looking for it in one way or another._

"That's just because you're a Tozier." Eddie said lightheartedly not at all knowing of the inner conflict Gwen was having. A few seconds passed with Gwen staring at Eddie before the both of them burst out laughing. Gwen was able to put aside her glum feelings as she had a laugh with Eddie.

When they settled down, Gwen gave the smaller boy a soft look again. Having Eddie apologize to her made Gwen realize she had her own apology to say. "I'm sorry too, about your arm...and for yelling at you." Not only did Gwen feel extremely bad for Eddie's arm getting broken, but she felt even more awful for telling him to be quiet when he had been frantic over her own well-being.

"It's alright." Eddie said accepting her apology. Although in his mind there really wasn't need for one. He didn't blame Gwen or the others for his arm getting broken like his mother Sonia did. If anyone was someone or should he say _something_ to blame it was that evil entity. _IT_. The smaller boy shivered thinking back to how both he and Gwen were getting attacked. Instead of continuing that awful memory, Eddie focused on the Gwen. He stared directly into her dark eyes, instantly calming down. No longer thinking about _IT_ , Eddie's mind started to take a different thought route. His eyes lowered down to his fanny pack. His stomach got a weird feeling as he remembered what Greta told him before she signed his cast. _Placebo means bullshit._ Eddie never got along with Greta but for some reason he didn't doubt what she had told him. And even though Eddie was about to ask Gwen a question that he already got answer from Greta, he still wanted to hear what Gwen had to say.

"Gwen...do you know what gazebos are?" Eddie asked not at all noticing he had used the incorrect word.

Gwen frowned. That question was completely random and it certainly changed the course of their conversation. "What?" She questioned, thinking she heard him wrong.

"You know gazebos." Eddie said once again messing up the word without notice. "They're a sort of medication."

Gwen narrowed her dark eyes. Something clicked in her brain. "Uh, I think you meant to say _placebos_." She answered getting into the conversation.

Eddie tilted his head slightly. "Isn't that what I said?"

"No you said..." Gwen sighed shaking her head. "Never-mind." She uttered then deciding just to focus on giving him an answer. "Anyways, it just means it's a fake. For example placebo medication just tricks the person into thinking it's real medication. In reality it does nothing for you but just fool you mentally."

The same feeling of anger and betrayal built up inside Eddie. "So, it's all bullshit?" He questioned using the same word Greta had said to him.

Gwen could tell something was up with Eddie based on how ardently he had used the word bullshit. "Yeah." She said as her mind went in circles connecting the dots again. "Eds..." She trailed off thoughtfully. "Is everything okay?" She decided to ask him.

Eddie nodded his head firmly. "Yeah...just something I gotta do later on."

Gwen continued to stare at him intently before everything made sense to her. "This this about your own medication, isn't it?" Although it was a question it sounded more like a statement.

Eddie didn't say anything to her. He just kept quiet as that lost look appeared on his youthful face again.

"Eddie." Gwen said as she tried reach out emotionally to him. It caused her great anger to finally know that his mother had been giving him fake medication. She always had a eerie suspicion that all of Eddie's illnesses were false on behalf of Sonia. Why would a mother lie to her own child? Was it just to keep Eddie on a short leash? There was seriously something terribly wrong with Sonia Kaspbrak.

"How do you know your medication is real and not fake?" Eddie suddenly asked the older girl. He knew that Gwen had depression and ADHD but if his medication was fake...maybe so was hers? Her reply though just faltered that assumption.

"Because I've gone to the doctor myself. I've asked like a gazillions of questions throughout the years, engaged in full conversations. I've seen the official paper work. So I know what I have is _real_." Gwen answered rapidly. Even if she didn't like taking her medication (more so her antidepressants) she knew her diagnosis of ADHD and depression were valid ones.

Eddie felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. Gwen saying that just confirmed that all the medicine he took was not at all necessary. Despite getting "prescribed" medication Eddie himself never talked one on one with doctors. His mother never allowed him to do so because in her own words she would always say, _"That's stuff adults have to deal with Eddie bear, not children. You let me handle it."_ Eddie never got to ask doctors questions about his asthma...he'd never even seen official paper work like Gwen had. The reason why? Because everything his mother told him he had growing was fake. It was bullshit. He wasn't sick at all. He didn't have asthma or weak bones or any of the other stuff Sonia had told him he was diagnosed with. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him. He felt like the ground beneath him was going to break from such realization.

"Eddie." Gwen called out seeing his outward struggle. "Do you want me to _—"_

This finally brought Eddie out from his shocked state. "No, it's okay." He interrupted surprisingly finding emotional strength. He gave her an earnest expression. "I'll deal with this on my own." Even though he liked that Gwen was willing to help him stand up against his mother this was something he had to do by himself. This was _his_ battle...not hers.

Gwen nodded her head, proud. In all the years she had known Eddie never had she seen him look so... _determined_. She took what he said seriously. Much like Stan, Eddie was going to finally stand up for himself. Gwen had great confidence and reassurance that he was going to succeed through.

"I have to go." Eddie finally said. He took a few steps forward before he locked eyes with the older teen. "I'm glad I ran into you." He said to her. Which was the truth. Even though their group had a fall out Eddie was still glad to see and actually talk to Gwen. He missed being around and having an actual conversation with her. Even if said conversation had him feeling all sorts of emotions towards the lies his mother had been telling him. He bid her a low farewell before he started walking passed her.

Gwen quickly called out his name causing him to look at her again. "When you get a chance change that S to a V."

Eddie gazed down at his cast taking what Gwen said into consideration. Perhaps changing the wording from _LOSER_ to _LOVER_ would be much better. Not needing to fully think about this anymore, Eddie nodded his head as a small smile appeared on his face. His stare went back towards her, lingering for a few seconds before he continued on his away.

Gwen didn't movie from her spot until Eddie was far away from her. Once she knew for certain that he wouldn't see what she was about to do, she turned to look at the pharmacy before her. Her expression turning hard as she narrowed her eyes. The smaller boy had stopped her before from charging in to confront Greta. Sure he said to leave it alone but Gwen couldn't do so. Not anymore. And now that Eddie was gone the need to get even on his behalf permanently took over. Gwen _wanted_ to get even with Greta for what she wrote on his cast...for _hurting_ him. Except not only did Gwen want to get Greta back for picking on Eddie but she wanted to get revenge on Beverly's behalf as well. The dark haired girl knew of the bullying done on her redheaded friend. Although many kids participated in the bullying, Greta was one of the main culprits.

Gwen wanted to make Greta pay for hurting two of her _closest_ friends...and she was going to do so now.

The fifteen year old quietly entered the pharmacy luckily without attracting attention from the front counter. At the moment the only other person who was inside was a brown haired man who appeared to be in his thirties. He was too busy looking at the area that held the candy to take notice of her. Seeing as Gwen was practically visible she hid behind one of the shelves. Gwen then stuck her head out and kept a watchful eye on the front counter. Mr. Keene was there as was Greta. The younger teen was still reading that girly magazine and chewing her gum causing Gwen to roll her eyes.

Gwen had to wait patiently (a trait she lacked) for an opening. Which was when Mr. Keene went into the back room. It was just Greta up front meaning now was Gwen's chance to act out her plan. Walking with quiet and determined steps, Gwen went over to where the cold drinks were and took one out _. Dr. Pepper._ There really was no specific reason why she chose this type of soda, it was just the first one she saw.

Once Gwen had the soda in her hand she started to shake it. This idea of a soda prank was one Gwen got from Richie. He had done this two years ago during Thanksgiving dinner. Despite causing Gwen to laugh it had earned Richie a one week grounding from their mother. The bespectacled boy had told her he wasn't the least bit upset saying it was totally worth the grounding. The soda Richie had used for his prank had been larger but Gwen knew she would get the same results right now with the soda she had. Gwen just had to make sure she was shaking the soda enough.

After a minute of shaking the _Dr. Pepper_ soda, Gwen felt she was finally ready to proceed with her plan. Just as she was walking towards the front counter, the man that was in there before her got in front of her. Gwen gently tapped his shoulder. When the man turned to look at her Gwen gave him a smile. "Excuse me, sir but do you mind if I go first?" She asked politely keeping her voice low so Greta wouldn't hear her.

The man didn't see anything wrong with this and just nodded his head.

"Thanks." Gwen whispered. She walked in front of him. She brought up the soda and pointed it towards Greta, who had yet to notice her. She glanced back at the man. "Uh, you might want to stand back."

The man gave her a bemused look but did as she said. Gwen waited until he was at a good distance before she returned her attention back up front. Feeling excitement within her, Gwen made her presence well known to the younger teen.

"Hey, Greta!"

The lighter haired girl looked up from her magazine with an annoyed expression on her face. She recognized that voice and wasn't happy to hear it. She looked at Gwen and her expression soon became one of full anger with what the older girl did next.

Gwen, who had the _Dr._ Pepper aimed at Greta, cracked it open. The liquid inside exploded and it all went towards one direction only. Greta. The Tozier girl watched in amusement how the soda soaked Greta's precious outfit, face, and hair.

 _"What the hell?!"_ Greta shrieked throwing her arms out.

Once the liquid started to settle down, Gwen dropped the soda onto the floor. Her hands were sticky but Gwen didn't care about that. With a smile on her face, Gwen stuck out both of her middle fingers just like how Richie had done with Henry. Greta watched with a shocked look as Gwen did this causing the dark haired teen to laugh. She then bolted out of the pharmacy knowing Greta's shrieking would cause Mr. Keene to return.

The man that was behind Gwen grimaced at Greta's disarrayed form. "You have soda all over your hair." He gestured to her as he nonchalantly pointed out the obvious.

In response, Greta just let out a frustrated unladylike huff.

* * *

While Greta Keene was fussing over her soda covered form, Gwen Tozier was still running away from the pharmacy with a smile on her face. She didn't at all care about not getting her refill for her medication. This was the first time since the separation of the Losers that Gwen felt...giddy. Carefree. Sure what she did to Greta was immature but that priss had it coming. Although the prank didn't make up for _everything_ Greta had done, it was a start. Plus, the prank served as a momentary distraction for Gwen. Granted the prank she did wasn't a strong distraction as getting drunk was but it still managed to do the trick at the moment.

Gwen finally stopped running when she reached the end of the street that led towards the kissing bridge. She had been too focused basking on the prank she caused and her feelings of excitement that she failed to see where she was even going exactly. Taking a break, Gwen took deep breaths. Low laughs kept escaping her and her smile was still on her face. She was dare she say _happy_. Happy enough that Gwen wanted to tell the other Losers about what she just did. She wanted to tell Beverly and Eddie she got the girl who had been bullying them the most and she also wanted to tell Richie. Her younger brother would have loved and laughed at her prank against Greta. Gwen knew for certain that Richie wasn't a fan of the Keene girl either. However, Gwen's smile faltered when reality came crashing down. She remembered the "argument" that was still going on between Richie and her. Her sudden high of adrenaline from running made her forget momentarily. Gwen sighed. Perhaps she could still tell him. Maybe Richie hearing about her prank will continue the progress they made or create a new one. Just maybe...

Gwen had been so distracted thinking about Richie and salvaging their brother sister relationship that she failed to hear the footsteps from behind her. When she finally did hear the angry stomping it was too late. This unknown person took a hold of her hair from behind and pulled hard. Gwen let out a pained yell, mentally cursing for having long hair. Before Gwen was able to do anything she let out an actual curse word when she felt another harsh pull. Gritting her teeth, Gwen then reached for the person that was behind her. The Tozier girl thought for sure it was Greta who was attacking her. It made sense given the prank she just pulled. Maybe the younger girl had followed and caught up with her. Therefore thinking it was Greta, Gwen was ready to use all her strength ready to fight back. However, Gwen instantly stopped thinking it was Greta when she felt something cold and sharp press against her throat. Gwen didn't need to look down to know that cold object was a knife. She knew Greta was a bully and extremely harsh but she also knew the younger girl wasn't capable of carrying a dangerous weapon like a knife with her. No...this was someone else. Someone deranged.

After another harsh pull to Gwen's hair her attacker finally spoke. Her blood ran ice cold once she recognized that voice.

"Hello, _dyke_."

Gwen gasped and felt absolute horror when Henry Bowers' blood stained face came into her view. The hold of the knife he had on her never lessened as the stare off between them commenced.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own_ _ **IT**_ _or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _A/N:_** _Once again I apologize for taking too long to update. What can I say that hasn't already in some way been said? I had some adult things to take care of but things are calming down now...thankfully. During my absence I've been keeping up with the filming of **IT: Chapter Two** based on what's been posted online. I gotta say I am super excited with on what I've seen. Pictures mostly. I saw a few on Instagram with some of the kid Losers. I saw a pic of **Finn Wolfhard** with **Bill Hader** and my heart nearly stopped from the excitement and happiness I was feeling. I mean, the two **Richie's** in one photo. If only **Hayley Atwell** was in there for **Gwen Tozier** ^.^ _

**_(Spoiler...I guess?)_**

 _Also, another thing that has me excited and a little sad (because I know the outcome of what happens to this new minor character) is_ _that for **IT: Chapter Two** they are going to add the **Adrian Mellon** story-line from the novel. The mini-series didn't have this but I am glad they chose to add it with the remake/re-adaption. For those of you who haven't read the novel and have no idea who the character of **Adrian Mellon** is, I'll explain. He is a young man who lives in Derry and his boyfriend and him get attacked by a homophobic group. He is the first victim of **IT** after coming out of hibernation/hiding. **Adrian's** death, along with the other missing kids, is what essentially causes **Mike** to call the Losers in order to get them to come back to Derry as adults. Letting them know that **IT** has returned. That part in the novel with **Adrian** getting attacked by **IT** always disturbed and sadden me...but despite this I do have to say I am interested with seeing it finally being played on the big screen. Despite it being a disturbing scene I feel that it is needed. Like **Georgie's** death. It was sad and heartbreaking but overall it was needed because his death was what drove **Bill** and later on the others to find out just what's going on in Derry. I know for certain that **Gwen** is going to take a heavy interest in **Adrian's** death and would want justice for him, along with the other kids who have fallen victim to **IT**._

 _Now moving on from that, I've also looked at the casting again on the IMDB page and I'm happy with what I have seen. I think casting the actor **Isaiah Mustafa** as adult **Mike Hanlon** is such a good choice. I can totally envision him as an older **Mike**. I can't wait to see him interact with the other Losers. I know for sure _**Gwen** _is gonna be over the moon when she finds out that **Mike** has become the librarian at Derry's Public Library. At last...a librarian she will be able to get along with ^.^ They've also cast the actress **Jess Weixler** to play adult **Bill Denbrough's** wife **Audra Phillips** and the actor **Will Beinbrink** to play adult **Beverly's** abusive husband **Tom Rogan.** This makes me curious to know who is going to play the other spouses for **Eddie** and **Stan**. They haven't posted anything in regards to who is going to be playing them. For **Eddie** I doubt they're gonna have him stick with his mother like in the mini-series. I think, however, he will marry someone who resembles his mother a lot like he did in the novel. As for **Stan**...well I really want to know who is going to play **Stan's** wife, **Patty Blum.** Mainly because by now we all know what she unfortunately witnesses...although of course my story will take a different route. Also, all you **Gwen x Stan** shippers, it's gonna be full angst city for this lovely couple. But don't lose hope and don't panic...at least not yet. _

_Anyways_ _..._ _I've also updated my **Stranger Things/IT** crossover. So go check that out if you guys are following that story already._

 ** _*Warning: Please Read What's Done Below Here Before Reading This Chapter!*_**

 _This chapter (as well as the next one) contains subject matter that may trigger some of you. Therefore, I have a need to warn all of you that there is extreme violence in this chapter. As well as u_ _nwanted sexual advances, touching without permission, derogatory language/slurs, possessive behavior, verbal and physical abuse. **Please,** (and I stress this) read with caution! _

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_"Sometime, somewhere, life always comes to a fight, and peace always comes to an end."_ _― Rachel Caine, Lord of Misrule_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 22: Bruised, Bloody and Broken**_

Gwen Tozier had never before this day really noticed the color of Henry Bowers' eyes...and why the hell would she have?

Since from a young age, Henry Bowers had not only repulsed Gwen, but he caused her to feel a great amount of indignation. Which of course was because of the way Henry treated others around him. These others also included herself. If asked, Gwen wouldn't have been able pinpoint the exact moment Henry started causing her trouble...he was just always there...a thorn in Gwen's side. An awful, ill-mannered, lunatic of a prickly thorn.

Despite what was happening at the moment, for some odd reason there were a ton of incidents of Henry bullying her throughout the years that were suddenly playing in Gwen's mind. The first few dreadful memories stuck with her the most. From the time in kindergarten when Henry had cut a good chunk of her hair off with a pair of scissors. He claimed it to be an accident when confronted by their teacher. Gwen had been more embarrassed than angered with the incident. Unlike her mother who was completely pissed. Maggie had to cut Gwen's hair into a bob-style because of how uneven Henry had left it. That was the only time Maggie had allowed Gwen to cut her hair short. The Tozier woman hadn't since then allowed Gwen to cut her hair that short.

Then there was the time that mullet wearing asshole poured a whole gallon of expired milk inside her backpack in the seventh grade. That was _fun_. Besides ruining everything that was inside, Gwen also had to wash her backpack a few times in order to get that vile smell off. The following year during eighth grade right after Gwen had brutally rejected one of Henry's advances, the following words: G _wen Tozier is a massive dyke,_ were written on her locker and in one of the boys bathroom stalls with a red marker. It didn't take a genius to figure out who wrote that. Let's also not forget her all time favorite memory (sarcastically of course), was the time Henry purposely tripped her, causing her nose to bleed after telling him that he needed to stop bullying Richie. The list of physical and emotional torment, however, doesn't end there. It went on and on.

None of those past situations (and the countless others) ever made Gwen notice his eyes...not until now. As Henry was now currently holding her at knife point, Gwen finally took notice of his blue eyes. They were a light shade of blue. Steel blue actually. The blood around his face certainly made his eyes pop more...but not in a flattering way. Usually the color blue calmed Gwen down. She admired the color because Chase's eyes had been blue _―_ oceanic blue to be more exact. However, Gwen found no peace when staring into Henry's eyes. They made her feel the opposite of tranquility. But more importantly, Henry's eyes were nowhere near as beautiful as Chase's. _Or Stan's, whose eyes were a light brown_...said a voice inside her head. It was then that Gwen's nerves had caught up to her again. She silently continued the stare off between her and Henry.

 _Blood._

 _Blood._

 _Blood._

There was so much God damn blood on his face. Where had all that blood come from? Did he kill someone? A chill ran down Gwen's spine when that last question entered her mind. She discreetly swallowed the lump she had in her throat not wanting to show anymore nervousness than she already was. The answer was pretty damn obvious, wasn't it? Suddenly the hold Henry had on the back of her head tighten, causing Gwen to wince. A distressed reaction she wasn't able to hide from Henry. Gwen saw how his eyes twinkled at her discomfort. Now if it weren't for the knife that was planted right on her throat, perhaps Gwen would have worried more about the stitches that were located near where Henry was grabbing her hair. Even if they were now healed. But alas the knife on her throat had all of her attention at the moment...that and the blood on Henry's face.

"I told you, you were going to be mine this summer, Tozier." Henry sneered at her. The crazed smile he had on didn't go away as he spoke. "You should have taken what I said seriously."

Those haunting words Henry had said to her on the last day of school came back to bite her. Gwen knew that she was in a life threatening situation. Any second now, Henry could just easily move that knife across her throat, resulting in her bleeding out and dying within seconds. She should be afraid...she was afraid. If she were to suddenly die now, Gwen would never see Richie or any of the Losers again. That was as terrifying as it was heartbreaking. Except what really got to Gwen the most was that if she were to die now of all times, she wouldn't have the chance to make up with her brother. And dying while Richie and her were at odds with one another did not sit well with her. Gwen steadied her breathing as words of sudden relief and encouragement entered her mind: _I have to be brave. If not for myself, then for Richie._

Having those words play in her mind just made Gwen not want to give this major fucktard the satisfaction (anymore than she already had) of letting him know he was frightening her. Therefore, Gwen tried her hardest now to appear unfazed. Gathering up all the courage she still had, she forced out a laid back smile. The uneasiness she once had on her face disappeared.

"I'm not usually a serious person. Nor do I really listen to what people have say to me. Especially not when it's a mullet wearing asshole who is speaking." Gwen snidely replied back. That mouth of hers was sure having its time running along even despite the situation she was in. Her heart rate, however, picked up pace when she felt the knife press even closer to her throat. She almost let out a noise of shock but kept it in. Despite this happening, Gwen's unruffled exterior demeanor didn't falter.

Henry's deranged smile fell apart after hearing her say all that. A frown now graced his face, and Gwen admitted to herself that his frown was way more nerve-racking than his previous smile. "I'd watch out what you say to me right now, dyke." He basically hissed out. Gwen right there and then compared him to a snake ready to attack its prey. "My father said some unkind words to me prior and look how that turned out."

Gwen's forced nonchalant act almost vanished completely when he said this. Of course the teen knew who Henry's father was. Oscar "Butch" Bowers. Now just like with Beverly's father, Alvin Marsh, Gwen didn't have the highest of opinions when it came to Henry's father. His father did have a better job than Beverly's, but that didn't automatically make him a better person...because he wasn't. Sure, Butch Bowers was a police officer in Derry, but he was an awful one. At least Gwen thought so, as did her father and Richie. Hell, even her mother Maggie agreed. By now, Gwen had lost count of the times Wentworth had complained about Officer Bowers. Or as he preferred to call him (as did Gwen at times), Butch. And there was a reason why Wentworth and her mother couldn't particularly stand Butch Bowers. A good reason indeed.

About a year ago (before any of this madness happened), her father's car got vandalized pretty bad. All four tires had been slashed and the front windows were smashed, with glass going everywhere. Once the discovery had been made, Wentworth, being the concerned and irritated citizen that he was, immediately called the police. Unfortunately for him, Officer Bowers had been the one sent his way to deal with the situation. Officer Bowers took down his statement (lazily so might she add as she had witnessed him doing so), and as a result nothing ever got solved in regards to who caused the damages.

Gwen remembered how enraged her father had been a few days later after the incident, when Officer Bowers said no culprits were ever found. Gwen knew her father's anger had more to do with the why Officer Bowers sounded when delivering the update. Just the way he presented himself when speaking to her father made it seem like he didn't give a shit. Which really Gwen should have known from the start that Butch Bowers didn't give a damn. He had been so inconsiderate and also the small tight lipped smile he had on when speaking wasn't helping with Wentworth's annoyance. Gwen still remembered exactly what her father said to her mother right after Officer Bowers had left their premises.

 _"He's scum, Mags. That son of a bitch is pure scum."_

 _"I know he is, Went. I know."_

Despite the situation, during that moment she witnessed with her parents, Gwen couldn't help but enjoy the fact that her mother and father were _actually_ talking with one another. They even used those affectionate nicknames they had for one another. Gwen _rarely_ ever heard her parents address each other that way anymore. At least not with so much devotion. If they were to say those same nicknames again they would sound plain, monotone. But at that moment...her parents acted and sounded _loved_ by one another. It was also one of the few times her mother and father could ever agree on something. They both heavily _disliked_ Butch Bowers. Maggie, much like Wentworth, had her own reasons for disliking Butch so much. It had more less to do with the car incident that happened to Wentworth. After all, Henry cutting her own daughter's hair didn't lessen the hatred she had for Butch Bowers and his son.

Now just like her parents, Gwen disliked Butch Bowers...a lot. There's was a reason for this as well. It wasn't just because of his son. Although Henry did play a big factor. But no, overall the Tozier girl had such negative thoughts about Officer Bowers because he was one of the police officers that classified Chase's death as a suicide. Never once questioning whether or not there was foul play involved. Which as Gwen now knows, there was. A tiny part of her brain had rationalized that maybe that evil energy that surrounded Derry got to his brain and fogged it up with wrong information...but something within Gwen told her that Butch Bowers didn't need any sort of bad influence in order to control his actions.

Gwen could tell now that Butch was bad, _real_ bad. And that now that her mind was going over the place, maybe Butch Bowers did know who vandalized her father's car but chose not to say anything. Hell, maybe it had been Henry or Patrick. Or perhaps both. The car incident after all happened a few days later after she had cussed them out. The Tozier girl had said some very colorful choice of words, letting her mouth get the best of her...yet again. Gwen could have asked but she found that ridiculous to do. What good would that do anyways? She had bigger things to focus on. Like getting the hell out of this deadly situation. Henry's knife at this point hadn't furthered away from her throat in the slightest.

Surprisingly, Gwen's gaze suddenly flickered away from Henry. From a distance she was now able to see the familiar blue _Trasn Am_ hiding within the tall grassy field. The reflection of one of the side review mirrors is what caught her attention. The gears in her head turned once taking notice of the vehicle. Now if the car was there then where the hell was Belch? Was he waiting in the car watching as Henry threatened her? Something within Gwen told her that he wasn't and she believed this feeling. Belch was a ill-mannered teen, but wasn't a raving lunatic like Henry. However, his absent presence made her nervous. Did that mean the burly sized boy suffered the same fate as Butch Bowers?

The longer Gwen thought this question the more obvious the answer became. She wouldn't put it past Henry to do such a thing to his supposed buddy. Especially not after he just admitted to killing his own father. She hoped to God (or whoever was this benevolent supposed being was and if they even existed), that Victor hadn't been there when Henry completely lost it. Even if the sleek white-blonde haired boy told her he wasn't hanging around Henry, Gwen still hoped he had kept his distance today in particular. If Belch was dead like Henry's father, like she assumed he was, then she inwardly begged Victor wasn't. Her concern for Victor momentarily went away and her full attention returned to Henry with what he maliciously said next.

"That Trashmouth of a younger brother of yours and your Loser friends aren't here to save your ass."

This time at the mention of her younger brother and friends, Gwen couldn't hide her reaction no matter how much she wanted to. A sad gleam passed through her eyes and Henry was quick to see it. He caught the meaning that lurked behind those dark eyes of hers. "Aw, what's this? Did you guys have a falling out? How sad." Henry's face contorted into mocking sadness before a smirk appeared on his blood covered face. "Although that works perfectly well for me. Not even that bird loving freak is here to protect you this time. Not that he actually would be able to. What a weak pathetic little shit he is."

The sadness that entered Gwen's system went away and anger soon replaced it. She without any ounce of fear gave him a heated glare. "Don't you dare talk about Stan." Gwen snapped at him. She couldn't help reacting this way. The Tozier girl absolutely did not like hearing Henry talk smack about the boy she cared immensely for. The boy she had come to realize was in love with her...and has been for a long time now.

Besides her verbal outburst, Henry noticed the emotional flare that passed through her eyes at the mention of the Uris kid. This made him let out a humorless laugh. "Well, it looks like the dyke does have a crush on the Jew." He churlishly said to her. His steel blue eyes didn't falter from her own dark eyes until he gazed down and saw an item that immediately caught his attention. Her ring. Displeasure and annoyance grew within Henry once taking sight of the jewelry piece. The diamond the ring had didn't look like the expensive kind but the price of the jewelry piece didn't really matter to him. Just the fact that she was wearing the ring angered him to his core because he had a strong guess as to who gave her the ring. He clicked his tongue as he lifted his gaze back onto her face again. "I bet that little shithead gave this to you, didn't he?"

Gwen's face morphed into aggravation from hearing Henry call Stan by that awful name. That anger soon went to the side once she thoroughly analyzed what he just told her. Gwen's gaze quickly flickered down towards where she was wearing her ring. It had never really occurred to her before now that Stan was the one who gave her the ring. Except after hearing Henry say that she felt like slapping herself. She was such an idiot. Of course Stan was the one who gave her the ring. Her stomach did a flip as she reached to touch her precious ring but her movement stopped midway when Henry reached for her hand. Rather harshly too. Within seconds, using the hand that had been once holding onto her hair, he pulled the ring off her finger and then without a care threw it away from them...away from her. Never once did the knife he had on her throat move. Gwen could only watch with a dispirited expression as the ring she had come to love disappeared somewhere along the dirt covered ground. Her heart broke a little from seeing this. Her ring was gone now...because of Henry. Her heartache was soon replaced with anger once more. Oh yes, the Tozier girl was incredibly pissed off now. She felt her cheeks start to warm up due to her irritation.

Henry saw the redness in her cheeks and felt content knowing he was getting to her. "So what? You've finally moved on from that Campbell boy?" He asked, continuing his heartless taunting. The smirk on his face expanded. "I thought he was the love of your life." He said mockingly. He knew mentioning the Campbell boy would affect her (just like it did when mentioning Stan), but he didn't gave a damn. Henry Bowers hated Chase Campbell with everything he had. Even now when he was dead. When alive, Chase had been Derry, Maine's golden boy. Mr. Perfect. Growing up, Henry had shared a few classes with Chase, and as the years passed by his hate for him grew. And that hate wasn't just because Chase had captured Gwen's undivided attention. Henry also loathed the way Chase was viewed by the others at school. How he was well liked and easily accepted by everybody.

That's why when Henry learned of Chase's suicide he hadn't been bothered by it at all. In fact, he was rather happy about it. What made it even better was that Henry used what happened to Chase as a way to further torment the Tozier girl. Just like he had done on the last day of school. The reason being because it would get a giant reaction out of her. Like it was right now. Plus it was always fun to torment her. In his eyes the uppity bitch deserved it. Just like how she deserved everything that was about to happen to her right now. However, before he proceeded there was something he wanted to know. He suddenly became somber as he looked harshly into her dark eyes. His expression was a mixture of pensiveness and vexation. "What does that Jew have that I don't?"

Gwen blinked several times, thoroughly puzzled. Was he seriously asking her this question? Now of all times? When he was holding a freakin' knife to her throat? She would have laughed if her life wasn't in danger due to how ridiculous this all was. However, Gwen knew that if she laughed right in his face the results would be ugly. Besides, Gwen realized that she could use this to her advantage somehow. Gwen quickly thought of something, a plan. She had no doubt that what she was about to say would anger him and put herself in even more risk, but it was what was going to give her the chance to escape the hold he had her in.

"Personality, for one." Gwen finally said answering his question, all while maintaining a cool persona. "But more importantly..." She drawled on, her voice and facial features harden with what she said next. Dropping her previous careless attitude for an impassioned one. "Stan's more of a man than you'll ever be. You _pathetic_ bastard." Gwen fiercely told him, emphasizing the word that she knew would do the most damage...and it did.

In return those words really pissed Henry off. His blue eyes inflamed with pure rage just as she had expected them to. The knife against her throat pressed harder against her and Gwen knew he was close to slicing her now. However, before that happened, Gwen decided act out her plan. Morphing her facial expression into one of relief, she forced her gaze away from Henry. She needed to look not scared again in order for things to work out her way. The plan she had was silly but it was the only plan that came to mind. And Gwen had the movie _Back to the Future_ to thank for this plan of hers. She was about to use the _Marty McFly_ tactic. Except when she yelled she didn't say _Marty's_ famous catchphrase of _"What the hell is that?!_ " but instead yelled _"Help!"_ in the same over dramatic tone _Marty_ did in the movie. That certainly did the trick.

Seeing her eyes widen the way they did automatically made Henry think that someone was there behind him. This made him move the knife slightly away from her throat. He, however, was completely unaware that she was playing him. When he glanced over his shoulder that was when Gwen knew she needed to continue her plan before he realized there was no one there to help her. This was her chance to escape. Since there was now had some little space between her and the knife, Gwen carefully, and without any mercy, kneed Henry between his legs. Right where that sorry excuse of a man part he so _proudly_ like gesturing towards was at. The hit had taken him by total surprise. He let out a loud groan of pain and it nearly had him falling over. Although he didn't fall to the ground, the sudden hit did make him drop his knife as he covered his man parts. As this happened, Gwen debated reaching for the knife but she ultimately decided to just run and get the hell away from him. This, however, was a decision she would regret.

Within seconds, Gwen had gotten a good distance away from Henry. Except much to her misfortune it didn't take long for Henry to recover. Pushing passed the pain Gwen had inflicted on him, he got up and with all the determination and anger he had in him, Henry ran after her. His loud angry steps entered Gwen's ears but she didn't stop running. If anything she started to run even faster...but so did Henry. Curiosity got the best of her, and wanting to check just how close he was, Gwen without stopping, glanced over her shoulder. To her shock he was right there, a sneer on his blood covered face. Before she was able to face forward again, Henry tackled her down to the ground. Gwen landing on her back, now laid on the ground with Henry straddling her. All of his weight was on her and she hated the feeling. It felt wrong. She let out a startled cry when one of Henry's fist connected with her face, more specifically her _nose_.

It didn't take long for her to feel a warm liquid substance start to run down. Gwen didn't need a mirror to see what it was. It was pretty obvious. When the substance went into her mouth and she recognized the taste. _Blood_. This would now be the _second_ time Henry has made her bleed from her nose. However, despite the pain and gushing blood, Gwen knew she couldn't dwell on it. She had to keep fighting. With an angry cry this time. Gwen punched Henry back, hitting him on his right cheek.

This retaliation somewhat startled Henry, but he quickly recovered. He wasn't about to be shown up by her again. It was her time to suffer. _Stupid bitch_. Glaring down at her, he used one of his hands to hold down both of her hands before using his other hand to backhand her across the face. After doing this he leveled his crazed eyes onto hers again. "I don't need my damn knife to kill you! You're just a stupid weak girl." Henry taunted as he continued to fight to remain on top of her. Despite having her hands pinned down, Gwen wasn't stopping her fighting. "Stay down!" Henry shouted. Immediately after he said this, Gwen stopped her fighting. Due to this, Henry expected to see her cry and hear her beg for mercy, but that wasn't the case when he stared into her eyes again.

Gwen's face stung from the hit she received but she didn't allow him to see the amount of pain she was in. At the moment she stopped her fighting but it wasn't for the reason he thought. Instead of crying, it was her turn to glare at him. It was such a heated glare that Henry was even taken back by the fervent emotion that radiated from it. Pure hatred could be seen in her dark brown eyes. _Stay down my ass._ _I'll show you who's stupid and weak._ Since both of her hands were being held done, Gwen straight out head butted him, ignoring the pain that erupted from doing that move. This was a life and death scenario and she wasn't about to die.

Henry was not expecting her to do that. Dazed, he got up and staggered back. His balance was shit as he tried focusing his vision. He touched his forehead. "You fuckin' bitch!" He thundered once he was able to somewhat compose his vision. By now Gwen was already on her feet again. Her stance was unsteady as well as she silently scrutinized him. Blood kept dripping down her nose as she did this and her head hurt like a son of a bitch but she couldn't focus on her either of those things. She had to focus on getting the hell away from Henry again.

The option of running again was there but in order to get to town where there was people, Gwen had to pass by Henry. Unless she ran in the opposite direction, leading further into the woods. Maybe go to the barrens? Although that sounded like a terrible idea. If she did that and Henry caught up with her, she was fucked. Sadly before Gwen was able to make up her mind, Henry moved forward (sloppily) and tried tackling her a second time. Gwen having already anticipating the move, got out of the way. However, because she was just as dizzy as Henry, she wasn't as fast as she wanted to be. He was able to get a hold of her left wrist. At first the hold was barely there but once having it in his grasp, Henry's hold became unyielding.

Henry doing this made Gwen's composure to fully return. She right away used her free hand to grab onto where Henry was holding her. She then using her strength, swung her arm to grab onto his own wrist. This unexpected move had Henry falling onto his knees as she started to push him down. He, however, at the last second managed to grab some dirt with his free hand and threw it behind him, going right into Gwen's eyes. She immediately let go when her eyes began to sting due to the dirt. Once she let go of him, Henry was quick to throw another punch her way. This one aimed at her stomach. This time Gwen couldn't force back the pain filled scream she let out. As she bent over holding her stomach, Henry used the opportunity to kick her in the face. More blood started to come out, this time from her mouth. Another kick was delivered to her left side of her body, resulting in Gwen falling to her knees.

It only took a single push for her to be on the ground again. Her eyes still stung but the blur was passable. She was able to see Henry when she felt him start to straddle her again. This time his movement when on top of her was more lecherous than before. Her heartbeat started to pick up when she felt him start to press that _thing_ of his against her downstairs area. Even with clothing on, Gwen was still able to feel _it_ and not only did that want to make her throw up but feeling Henry's private member alarmed Gwen...a lot. She had never felt a penis before (let alone seen one) and hoped she wouldn't for a very long time. She knew that eventually the time would come but not right now. Not when she was fifteen years old and unwilling...and she certainly did not want to feel Henry's. It was wrong...she did not want this. That same gross feeling of when Patrick had been spying on her changing in the locker returned with a vengeance. She felt violated...actually she was being violated. Gwen wanted this to stop now but she knew Henry wouldn't...not without a fight.

Henry smirked at seeing her finally look so defenseless and underneath him like he had always wanted. Glancing down onto her bleeding and bruising face left a feeling of excitement surge through him. He licked his lips as he pressed him against her even more. "Oh, I'm gonna have so much fun with you even after you're dead."

Gwen shuddered once she understood what he meant by that. _He was sick in the head_. Despite being unnerved by this, when she felt him press against her again, the disturbance she felt moments prior turned into exasperation. Gwen's mind took a sharp turn. _I'm not gonna let his fucktard take advantage of me! Fuck that!_ Her glare from before returned. Not needing another second thought about what she was going to do, Gwen lifted both of her hands and with a scream she started scratching at Henry's face.

"Fuck!" Henry shouted as Gwen started to break his skin. He had to use one of his hands in order to block his eyes. That's where he knew she was trying to aim most of her scratching. Due to him shielding his eyes, Gwen was left to do more damage to the rest of his face. She left full on scratch marks, really doing harm to him. However, this unfortunately wasn't enough to get Henry to back off. A few more seconds passed before he finally got the upper hand again in the situation. With a crazed look in his eye, Henry, forcing passed the pain from the scratching, began to mercilessly squeeze her throat. The chant from the television when he killed his father replayed over and over again in his head as he did this. _Kill them all, Kill them all, Kill them all!_

The sudden force on Gwen's throat started to make her wheeze, causing her scratching to come to an end. She instead tried getting Henry's hands off her throat but it was nearly impossible. He had such a hard grip on her throat. Her face was slowly beginning to turn a light shade of purple because of the lack of oxygen. Since she couldn't pry his hands off she tried again to scratch at his face but it was to no avail. Suddenly at the very last second, just when she thought she was going to pass out for good, something happened.

 _Use your legs._ A voice (one that she would later realize was not her own) rang in her head.

Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? The idea was now planted in her mind. Since her hands were failing her it looked like she needed to use something else...her legs. With skills Gwen didn't even know she possessed, she quickly yet slyly wrapped her legs around Henry's chest and squeezed her thighs together with all the strength she had left. When doing this, Gwen now was able to remember watching some old fighting movie where the of the main characters explained how thigh strength could be very useful when fighting an opponent...and even deadly if used against someone in actual self-defense.

And it appeared that her counter attack was working.

Henry was now the one grunting in pain, and wheezing as he was beginning to lose oxygen. This ultimately caused him to lose grip around her throat, but before he was able to fully let go he was suddenly thrown off her.

As soon as his hands were off her throat, Gwen took a deep breath. Her eyes widening from relief. _It worked._ The light shade of purple that resided on her face started to slowly fade away as she started desperately taking in more air. There was no doubt, however, that the dark marks on her throat caused by Henry would go away any time soon. Despite taking in air like a person drinking water after almost dying from thirst in the desert, Gwen was still able to see what or should she say _who_ had thrown Henry off of her. And was she ever surprised to see who it had been.

 _Victor_.

Gwen couldn't believe her eyes at what she was seeing. The sleek white-blonde haired boy was okay. He was alive...and he was currently pummeling the shit out of Henry. He was on top of him throwing punches like there was no tomorrow. All of his punches were hitting Henry's blood covered face. Blood that now just wasn't from killing his father, but from the scratch wounds that Gwen gave him. The Tozier girl wanted to get up and help Victor, but her body was betraying her. She felt too weak. No matter how much she tried, Gwen couldn't push pass the choking and the beatings she had received from Henry. Blood was still escaping from her nose and mouth. Her eyes still stung as well but her vision wasn't as blurry as before. However, the metallic taste of her blood invaded her taste buds, and it disgusted her. All she could really do was intake more air as she tried gaining her strength again. Somehow she was able to turn to her right side, and silently watched as Victor continued his bashing.

Despite having his back towards her, Victor still sensed the Tozier girl's gaze. Without stopping his hits on Henry, he found his voice. "Gwen go! Get the hell out of here!" He vehemently yelled out. Victor knew that she must have been in a world full of pain but he wanted her gone...now. She needed to run while he still had the upper hand against Henry. Victor knew that he wouldn't be able to keep Henry down for long. Not with his hits. Henry had always been stronger than him. A fact that Henry always like rubbing in his face. At the moment though it appeared that Victor was the stronger one and he knew why. Victor's need to protect Gwen was the reason for this...but he also knew this sudden unexpected strength would come to an end. So Gwen needed to leave.

It had been pure luck that he was even able to cross paths with them. Although deep down Victor knew it had more to do than just luck. There was like this unexplained force of some sorts telling him he needed to go a certain way and to hurry. Once this unusual feeling appeared he followed through, not at all caring about the consequences. A voice inside his head just kept repeating the same thing over and over again: _Get to Gwen. Find her. She needs help._ And before even witnessing Henry choking the life out of Gwen, Victor knew that she was in deep trouble.

That voice in head told him so. Victor, however, had no idea as to why Henry was trying to kill her. Nor did he know why his face was covered in blood, but he didn't care to ask for any sort of explanation. He reasoned that Henry just lost his damn mind for good this time. When running towards them, Victor had noticed the familiar blue _Trans Am_ hiding in the grassy field. He briefly wondered where the hell Belch was and why he was letting this happen. And then it suddenly struck Victor once pushing Henry off of Gwen's body that perhaps Belch was dead...and saying that even in his head dismayed Victor. Despite keeping his distance, Victor still considered Belch a friend. Realizing that Henry killed him, hurt Victor. Except, not only had Henry killed Belch but now he was trying to kill Gwen. Henry killed one of his closest friends and now he was trying to kill the girl he loved. And that's right, now of all times did Victor finally admit to himself that he did love Gwen. Which only made him want to stop Henry even more. The strength he had suddenly increased, making any doubt he had disappear. Maybe he would be able to stop Henry for good...but alas, things were about to take a drastic turn.

If Gwen had been able to she would have screamed with what she saw next. A horrific image that would be implanted in her mind and invade her upcoming nightmares. But for the life of her she couldn't find her voice. It was like it was being purposefully held back. She even tried to get up but it was like a force of some sorts pushed her back down to the ground. What was only able to come out from her mouth was just too low, and it sounded like sand-papery whisper. Her throat hurt so much with just that attempt. It felt like it was on fire now. Despite not being able to express the frightful warning she wanted to give Victor, her face sure showed it. However, that did nothing on account that Victor's back was turned to her. Gwen though was still able to witness the shining item that was close to Henry...and him grabbing it. Gwen's blood ran cold when she realized it was the knife from before. Her heart nearly stopped. That was _impossible_. The knife hadn't been there before...how did it get there?!

Poor Victor had been so distracted in hitting Henry, thinking that he was about to win for good and save the girl he loved, that he did not at all expect what happened next. Henry without any ounce of regret jabbed the knife into the side of Victor's neck. The sleek white-blonde haired boy eye's widen in shock as a horrible painful sensation erupted from where Henry had just stabbed him. His punches immediately stopped as his hands were now trying to stop the bleeding but it was no use. Blood just kept coming out from the wound Henry caused, and Victor somberly knew he was seconds away from losing his life.

And he was. Victor Criss ended up dying trying to save the girl he had come to love. A girl, who although never returned those same feeling, had come to care for him...and with that peculiar mind of hers in someway (even when she was an adult and away from Derry with a foggy memory of her childhood) would remember the sacrifice he had made. She wouldn't remember everything but she would have bits of pieces floating around in her mind. Now Victor's last few thoughts before dying were the feeling of Gwen's lips upon his own when they had kissed, the color of Gwen's dark brown eyes, and how he hoped they would continue to shine brightly after getting out of this horrific mess.

Something that he hoped she would get out of...

When the life in his own eyes finally went away, Henry threw Victor off of him as if he weighed nothing. Tossing the sleek white-blonde haired boy as if he were nothing but trash. This not only did this emotionally wound Gwen (after seeing Victor die that way), but seeing Victor's lifeless body caused a fire to grow within her. _She had to get up. She needed to_. Gwen forced back the tears that wanted to escape her. _Victor, I am so sorry._ She cried in her head. _You did not have to die this way._..y _ou didn't have to die period._

Gwen's apologetic thoughts came to a halt when Henry's crazed eyes landed onto her bloody and bruised form again. That same force from before tried keeping her down but her sudden anger from watching Victor die overpowered whatever dark energy that was. Gwen with a fierce expression stood up...ready to attack Henry again. The Bowers boy only watched with a wicked smirk as she made her way towards him. That caused Gwen's blood boil and her need to end Henry once and for all tripled. _Why did he deserve to live after everything he's done?_ Gwen had never once in her life wanted to kill another human being...not until now. But Henry Bowers was pure evil...and he needed to be stopped.

However, before she was even able to reach Henry, out of nowhere Gwen's vision turned dark. And when her vision became clear again she was met with an eerie smiling and frightening Pennywise towering over her. Her dark eyes widen in absolute horror. She opened her mouth and just like before nothing but a short sandy whisper was able to escape. The last thing Gwen remembered before her vision went dark again was _IT_ wrapping those white gloved hands over her throat and squeezing tightly.

* * *

As the confrontation between Henry Bowers and Gwen Tozier occurred (the same confrontation that sadly lead to Victor Criss' death), Bill Denbrough got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling of warning of some sorts (one would say it was the same feeling Victor had...but it was different in a way). The feeling was not exactly the same one he got when Georgie happily said goodbye on the afternoon he had gone out to play with the boat Bill had made him. The feeling, however, was strong enough to cause him to feel trepidation.

Evidently the feeling could not be overlooked...and Bill didn't want to overlook it. He feared something awful would happen if he ignored this feeling...and he didn't want anything else horrible to happen. So as quick as he could go, Bill was out of his house grabbing his bike from his front lawn. Without faltering his pedaling, Bill headed towards where his gut was telling him to go first. Beverly's house. The Denbrough boy didn't need to worry about what his parents would think about him leaving so abruptly. Not that they would even notice him being out of the house...they never did anymore. Not since what happened to Georgie. Thinking about his younger brother made Bill pedal his bike faster.

When Bill arrived at the Marsh residence he was thoroughly muddled to see the run down apartment's front door slightly opened. Still, out of politeness (but mainly wariness), Bill knocked on the door before slowly pushing it further open. The old door creaking loudly as he did this. A unsettled feeling passed through him when there was no response. Not from Beverly, nor from her father. Not that Bill wanted to speak with him...he did not like Alvin Marsh. The man caused uneasiness and animosity to arise within him every-time he laid eyes on the older man. Despite his immense dislike for the older man, Bill found it odd that he hadn't answered. There was the possibility that maybe he was out doing a job...but Bill wasn't convinced by this thought. And even so, why wasn't Beverly answering him? Was she out? If so, why did she leave the front door open? No...something was not right.

Out of chance though, Bill called out Beverly's name again as he stepped further inside the apartment. This time he did hear something. Bill's ears perked up picking up the noise. It sounded like a low groan...and it was coming from Beverly's bathroom. Bill's heart started to speed up. The last time he had been in there was when he and the Losers (minus Richie) had cleaned the blood. Bill knew the blood wasn't there anymore but hearing that noise did not make him feel any better. Bill's leadership persona though told him he needed to check what that noise was...he had to...so he did. Gathering up his courage, Bill turned the hallway's corner that lead towards the bathroom. At first he saw nothing but when Bill got closer to the bathroom's entrance that's when he saw _it_. There was blood...but it wasn't like last time. This time the blood was coming from Alvin Marsh, who was faced down on the floor. Blood pooling from a head wound.

To say Bill was shocked would be an understatement. Besides the shock, Bill also felt concern because he had no idea where Beverly was. Questions began to go through his head. Had she done this? If so why? Even with the questions, Bill didn't think the worst of Beverly. Bill knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't have attacked her own father (no matter how much of a creep he was) unless there was a reason to. And Bill knew that there had to have been a reason...and it had to have been a bad one. Backing away from the bloody scene, Bill rushed into Beverly's room. Maybe Beverly was hiding in there and was afraid to come out because of what happened with her father, but man was he wrong. When Bill stepped inside Beverly's bedroom he was instantly met with the frightening message that was written in blood on her wall that said: _YOU DIE IF YOU TRY._

One look at that frightening message and Bill instantly knew why Beverly hadn't answered when he came in. _IT_ had taken Beverly. There was no doubt about that. None whatsoever. The beautiful red haired girl he had feelings for had been taken and Bill now needed to find her...but he knew well enough that he wouldn't be able to do that on his own. He needed help...he need the _others_. So that's why he ran out of the Marsh's apartment with resolute. He needed to gather up the rest of the Losers. Except as he rode his bike a rather unusual thing occurred. That strange strong feeling from before returned. And like before the feeling told him to go in a specific way. So Bill did without any issues and he soon found himself near a grassy field.

There was nothing out of the ordinary at first glance. The grassy field was empty, with only the wind blowing through the grass, making them go back and fourth. It was a rather peaceful sight which ironically just didn't sit right with Bill. This left him puzzled and on edge because he figured this strong feeling of his would have meant he was going to find something intense as he did at Beverly's apartment...but there was nothing. Just as he was about to ride away to continue on with his mission to save Beverly, a sudden glimmer coming from the ground caught his attention. Using his bike, Bill pedaled to where that shine had come from. He nearly fell off his bike _Silver_ when he was close enough to see a dark stain on the dirt covered ground... _blood_.

Blood...just like he had seen in Beverly's bathroom. Only this time there was no body to indicate where the blood had come from. But there was something else...an item that immediately clued Bill Denbrough in to whose blood that most likely belonged to. His palms started to get sweaty from panic when he saw the familiar diamond ring next to the blood stain. He full on panicked because Bill knew for sure who exactly that ring belonged to. It was Gwen's ring. He was aware of this because Stan had confessed to Bill the day after his Bar Mitzvah, when he had ran into him, that he had bought her the ring that was displayed on the jewelry shop's window and left it on her front porch. When his curly haired friend told him this, Bill had been overjoyed. Despite their friend group breaking apart, and him feeling terrible for missing Stan' Bar Mitzvah, he was able to surpass his guilt and felt happiness that Stan still felt close enough to share that secret with him. And even though Stan had left the gift anonymously, Bill was still felt proud that Stan had gave the ring to Gwen. The gift just showed how much he liked the older girl. Bill wished he was brave enough to leave something for Beverly the way Stan did for Gwen.

However, seeing the ring next to a blood stain (one that looked fresh) made Bill's stomach turn. Just like with the scene he had seen at Beverly's bathroom and bedroom, Bill knew this was not good. The Denbrough boy also knew another thing. Bill had no doubt that _IT_ had taken Gwen as well. The bloody message on Beverly's wall was the indicator that she had been taken and leaving Gwen's diamond ring on the ground was another indicator.

Bill felt his stomach drop when he picked up the ring from the ground. This was _ITs_ own sadistic way of letting him, and eventually the others know that _IT_ was ready now...ready for them. Despite the Losers getting out of the Neibolt house alive (thanks to Beverly injuring _ITs_ eye), Bill knew _IT_ wouldn't back off that easy. Sooner or later _IT_ would return again...and _IT_ had. Except much to the Bill's distress the evil entity had struck them in a way that _IT_ knew would get to all of them the most...by taking two of their most beloved members. Two of his closest friends. The girl with the dark eyes who Bill had come love like an older sister, and the girl with the flaming red hair who he harbored romantic feelings for. Bill had to tell the others about Gwen, just like he was going to tell them about Beverly.

And Bill knew exactly where to go now...he was just nervous to do so. Those feelings of determination he had faltered a little when he rode his bike to the arcade. The place where he knew Richie would be at. Bill was nervous to speak with Richie and for good reason. The Denbrough boy still felt incredibly guilty and awful for punching him in the face. He had even tried to apologize to his bespectacled friend the following day after the argument between them and the Losers, but sadly Bill never got a chance to even say "I'm sorry" because Richie had kept the interaction short between them. Everything about that conversation went to ruins rather quickly. Bill still remembered how their conversation went and it broke his heart having to replay said memory in his head.

...

 _"I know you're m-m-mad at me, but can you p-p-please listen?" Bill begged as he was standing next to Richie's left side. The Tozier boy didn't bother to look at him as he continued his video game playing. Bill let out a sigh at seeing Richie's lack of response but he continued to speak. "When Georgie went missing Gwen was there for me. Sh-She was like a sis_ _―_ _"_

 _That had been it. That got a reaction out of Richie. A rather nasty reaction too. Richie knew exactly what Bill was going to say and he snapped before he was able to think things through._ _"She's not your fuckin' sister!" He fervently shouted finally turning to look at him. Behind those over-sized glasses of his, Richie glared accusingly at the Denbrough boy. Tears were threatening to escape his eyes but his anger kept them from falling down his face. "She's_ my _sister! And you took her away from me!"_

 _That left Bill shocked, slack-jawed. It felt like forever before he was able to find his voice again. "Richie, I-I-I didn't take her away from you. She's been there f-f-for you all along!" He retorted back...but the damage had already been done._

 _..._

After the bespectacled boy said that, and after Bill's rather fierce response, Richie had stomped away. Leaving behind Bill, who felt even more guilty than before. Now that Bill had time to think things more clearly, he couldn't fault Richie's behavior. Not really. Gwen meant a lot to Richie. Bill knew that Richie's and Gwen's parents barely paid them any mind. It wasn't in the same way that his parents viewed him (or rather didn't view him), but Bill knew the relationship between them and their parents wasn't a very strong one. So it made sense as to why Gwen and Richie relied on one another. Richie especially towards Gwen. They were all that each other had. So when Bill started to get closer to Gwen after Georgie's disappearance, of course that affected Richie dearly. Bill just hadn't noticed it...not until that dreadful argument. And Bill just made it worse with punching Richie in the face. He hadn't wanted to hit Richie, but after he mentioned Georgie with saying that he was dead...things took a wild turn, but how Bill wanted to reverse time in order to make things right.

Well, maybe he could still fix things. Despite his first attempt at apologizing going bad, second times a charm...right? He was about to find out. The Derry arcade was located next to the movie theater. When Bill had been making his way towards said area, he had briefly read the title of the main movie the movie theater was currently screening: _Nightmare On Elm Street 5._ If it weren't for the grave situation, Bill would have bitterly laughed just from reading the movie's title. Why go see a movie like that when he and his friends were already living a nightmare?

After getting off his bike and leaning it against the arcade's entrance, Bill with a fixed determined stride made his way inside. There were other kids in there happily playing video games, completely unaware of the evilness that was the town of Derry. Bill's attention, however, didn't linger on those individuals who were spared of that horrific knowledge. No, his gaze went towards where the _Street Fighter_ game was located. As expected there was Richie Tozier playing the game as if there was no tomorrow. For a brief moment, Bill lost his composure again from just seeing Richie. The memory of their last encounter entered his mind. Bill though couldn't let this get to him. No matter how much the guilt and regret ate away at him. He had to think of Gwen and Beverly...they needed help. And Richie needed to know about Gwen. Bill mentally prepared himself because telling Richie the horrible news about Gwen being taken wasn't going to be swell. Richie was going to panic...and Bill would need to be ready to comfort and reassure his friend for the emotional pain he was about to express. Taking a deep before, Bill steadied his emotions before he walked over towards where Richie was at.

It didn't take long for Richie to notice Bill's approaching figure. When he came to a halt on his left side, Richie nearly rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" He questioned flippantly. "See that guy I'm hitting?" He continued on talking discourteously as he delivered yet another punch to his video game opponent. "I'm pretending it's you."

Bill decided to ignore that jab and instead focused on the important matter. He tried to steady his voice, but he already felt his stutter before speaking. " _IT_ t-t-took them." He straight out said to Richie, hoping the sentence would stick with him...it didn't.

"What are you talking about?" Richie asked without care, not at all understanding the gravity of the situation. To him what Bill just said sounded like a bunch of gibberish.

Bill was quiet for a few seconds, the angst within him growing. " _IT_ , Richie." He said finally finding strength to talk clearly this time. No stuttering whatsoever. " _IT_ has Beverly...and Gwen."

The air surrounding them suddenly became cold. Ice cold. Which was weird considering it was summer and it was in the mid-nineties on this specific day. A day the Losers would remember but slowly and surely they all would forget as time ticked by. But for some unexplained reason inside the arcade it was now cold...at least to Richie it felt that way. Processing the words that Bill just said made him stop his playing, letting go of the video game controls. He glanced towards his arms and right away saw how goosebumps were covering the both of them. He then swiftly looked up towards Bill, his mouth dry as ever.

"What?" Richie asked, his voice wavering with emotion. Mostly with fear. He was scared...scared for Bill to repeat what he had clearly just told him. The Tozier boy couldn't rightfully accept hearing such a response...he was in denial. And he kept rejecting such news until Bill showed him the one item that changed everything. Gwen's ring. As soon as Richie saw that piece of jewelry he felt his stomach drop and his breathing went to shit. The arcade felt like it was getting smaller and smaller, and his breathing was erratic. Was this how Eddie felt when he was having one of those supposed asthma attacks? If this was how Eddie felt every-time he had one, that sucked. Richie did not like the feeling of not being able to control his breathing. He realized though that this wasn't an asthma attack. No, it was a fuckin' panic attack. He tried to stay calm but learning that Beverly and Gwen had been taken by _IT_ was too much. Everything became to much for him to handle. He was losing all of his senses.

Richie started shaking his head. "No, no, no." He managed to mutter out. Behind those huge glasses of his, Richie's eyesight was getting cloudy because tears started to form. By now his sudden distressed appearance, along with his chanting, had caught the other kids' attention in the arcade.

Bill didn't waste another second. He carefully and gently took a hold of one of Richie's arms. The Denbrough boy realized that his friend was having a hard time breathing. Richie needed fresh air and he needed it now. Once outside in the open, Bill put both his hands on Richie's shoulders. "Richie, look at me." He said without stuttering. His voice held such comfort of authority that Richie had no difficulty in doing what he had told. Still, his breathing was all over the place and his face held an expression of utter distress.

Bill had to put a stop to Richie's panic. "Richie, try to breathe slowly. In and out, okay? One, two, three..." He said keeping his voice calm. His stuttering had yet to come back but he was too focused on stopping Richie's panic attack to even pay attention to that detail.

And just like when they were in the Neibolt house, Bill was able to calm down Richie. Within a few minutes, Richie was able to get a hold of himself again. However, just because his breathing was better, that didn't mean he wasn't fully alright. He wasn't...he was still freaking out. Bill removed his hands from Richie's shoulders as soon as the bespectacled boy started pacing.

"God, why was I such an ass to her?!" Richie threw his arms out. This time tears were going down his cheeks. "She's gone and it's all my fault!" He cried out. "If I had just been more observant...if I hadn't left her alone..." He suddenly stopped pacing and turned to look at Bill with a broken expression. "I told her I hated her." He felt like having another panic attack again. He was so close to freaking out the same way he had when inside Neibolt _―_ or the crackhead house as he preferred to address it as. His expression then became one of shame. "Bill, how could I have said that to her? I don't hate her...I could never hate her." He emotionally rambled out, his cheeks heated up from his crying. He felt like a mess and he probably looked like one but Richie didn't give a damn on how he looked like at the moment. His older sister had been taken and by some evil entity. What if Beverly and her were already dead? A sharp pain erupted in his heart at that thought alone.

His words left a heavy impact on Bill. The fight between them replayed in his mind. Bill knew that he needed to apologize right then and there if they were going to move forward with their rescue. His genuine emotion resulted in his stuttering to return. "R-R-Richie, I'm s-s-sorry for punching you." He said causing Richie to look right into his eyes. The Tozier boy could see genuineness in then. "I know you must hate me for d-d-doing that but we have to look past that." He told him. "We have t-t-t-to stick together in order to g-g-get them back. And I-I swear to you that we will."

Richie's crying came to a halt after Bill stopped talking. The Denbrough boy was right with what he said. They needed to stick together and look past what happened between them. More so Richie because he was the one still holding onto the anger more than Bill. An earnest expression appeared on his youthful face. He appreciated Bill's apology but now it was his own turn to be the bigger person. "I don't hate you, Bill." Richie softly said, and that was the truth. Bill was one of his best friends. Richie had known Bill since forever (at least it felt that way). Bill Denbrough not only meant a lot to Richie, but he meant a lot to the other Losers as well. Bill was their leader. Bill was the one who held everyone together. And Richie felt like an imbecile for letting his jealousy get the better of him. He realized now that he shouldn't have been jealous of Bill in the first place for spending time with Gwen. No matter who Gwen spent time with, she was always going to be his sister. If only he had controlled that mouth of his during the argument they had. Richie wanted to go back in time and stop himself from saying that hurtful comment he made about Georgie. Bill did not deserve that. Except Richie couldn't do that...but he did the next best thing. He apologized.

"I'm sorry for what I said about Georgie." Richie said quietly but sincerely. "I really am."

Bill wasn't expecting for Richie to apologize. It surprised him but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the apology. The Denbrough boy did appreciate the apology, he really did. Bill softened his stare on Richie before he patted one his shoulders. A clear sign that he accepted his apology.

And just like that their friendship was repaired. The two of them couldn't see it but to their blind eye a power (the same power that Gwen had yet to realize she possessed) flowed through the air. It was the same power that would eventually aid them in getting rid of _IT_ once and for all. Key word being eventually. They still had a long journey ahead of them. A journey that included both horror and heartache.

"We need to call the others." Bill said once bringing his hand down to his side. His stutter had gone away again. The leader in him was starting to rise more to the surface.

Richie nodded his head as he adjusted his glasses. "We'll call the others and tell them where to meet up. I still have some spare quarters. We can use the payphone that's here and call them. Then after we're done doing that we'll go to my house."

Bill got a puzzled expression filled with anxiousness. "What for? We can't t-t-tell any adults." He warned him causing his stutter to return at the last second. There was no way any adults residing in Derry would be of any use to them. No, this was something only Bill and his closest friends were able to do. Adults be damned. They would never be able to understand them.

"No, not for that." Richie hastily reassured him. "I just need something." His eyes took an earnest route as he now spoke evenly. "I need Gwen's baseball bat." Richie's mind was all over the place with images of him beating the shit out of that ugly ass clown. That entity had no idea who _IT_ was messing with. An angry Tozier was not someone you wanted to deal with...and Richie was beyond pissed off. That clown was so fucked... _IT_ was so fucked.

After hearing Richie confirm his answer, Bill had no trouble nodding his head and finding his voice again. "Let's go then."

And away they went.

The two of them were on a mission. A mission that would soon be joined by the four other remaining Losers. Eddie, Stan, Mike, and Ben. They would all meet up and make their way to save their friends. And Richie Tozier would be on his way to save his older sister.

 _Hold on, Gwen._ Richie thought wholeheartedly _. We're on our way._ I'm _on my way._

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I know you guys must have a lot of question. I'm assuming the main one being: Where did Victor and Henry go? That question, along with the others you guys probably have we'll be answered in the remaining chapters. Also, buckle up because chapter 23 and 24 are going to gruesome chapters. In the next chapter her scene with **IT** and is not going to be pretty...seriously I'm warning you guys now, as I well again next time in the author's note, that the next chapter is going to have triggering factors. Read with caution! _


	23. Chapter 23

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _A/N:_** _Hey guys! Sorry for the wait but I started college again and it's already tiring me out ugh. I have an Osteology class this semester and it is giving me major anxiety. I have to spend up to 8 hours a week at the lab in order to insure that I least get a C in that class. A lot of students have said that class is hard and that going to the lab hours is needed to pass. Therefore a lot of my free time will be spent in there studying bones and then I have my other classes to worry about as well. On the bright side this (hopefully) will be my last year. I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2019 and finally earn my Bachelor's in Anthropology. So if I don't update this story or the others I have it's because I am focusing on my studies. Don't worry I am not going to abandoned any of my stories, I just need to put my schooling first. Sorry guys!_

 _Anyways, I had major writer's block when writing this chapter, it took some time before I was even able to start typing. But my willingness to write returned with a vengeance. Now I know I originally wanted to include the sewer fight in one whole chapter but like I said I just started school and I really want to just give you guys a new chapter already. Plus I feel like splitting the final confrontation is be better because of pacing. So here's the first half of the sewer scene from the movie._ _I am not kidding when I say I need a serious hug after writing this chapter. My emotions were all over the place. Hope none of you hate me after reading this chapter. The next chapter will have Gwen getting into contact with Maturin, the Losers reuniting with Gwen after her terrible ordeal with **IT** , an emotional scene between Gwen and Stan (finally those two will see each other again) along with the fight scene with all the Losers against **IT**. Then chapter 25 will be the __Blood Oath scene and then a extra filler chapter before we head into Chapter Two...which of course I have to wait until the movie comes out in September 2019...so we have a while until then. I might do another filler chapter before any of the phone calls are made by Mike, just to give you guys a better insight with how Gwen is as an adult and how she's changed. Let me know if you guys would like that. Regardless Chapter 26, which will be after the Blood Oath is going to take place during Gwen's Senior year on the day she graduates from high school. It will be rather angsty but I don't want to say anything else because I want you guys to read the rest of what happens._

 _I've been watching **Castle Rock** on **Hulu** and after some thinking I made up my mind and I'm for sure going to write a fanfic about it. I don't know when I'll release it considering I am going to be super busy with school, but I'll start working on it once I finish Chapter One for this story. I plan to use **Quinn Shephard** again as the faceclaim for my **OC** , considering the show has a lot of **Stephen King** references. Don't worry her character in **Castle Rock** will be completely different than the character of **Gwen Tozier.** You guys will see once I release the story. _

_Also, shout to writer **i am cloud.** I recommend you guys go read their story! It's called **Bright** and the first two chapters are up right now! It's another **IT** OC story and based on what I've been informed and read personally, it's going to be a good one!_

 _ **P.S.** Sorry for any spelling errors! I'll try to fix them later! _

_***Warning** :_ ** _Please Read What's Done Below Here Before Reading This Chapter!*_**

 _As I mentioned in the last author's note this chapter contains subject matter that may trigger some of you. So once again, I **stress** that you guys read the following with caution!_

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 _"I no longer believe that people are born without virtue. It gets beaten out. Misfortune threshes our souls as a flail threshes wheat, and the lightest parts of ourselves are scattered to the wind."_ _― Danielle Teller, All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother_

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 _ **Chapter 23: When innocence is lost**_

 _Cold. Why am I so cold?_

That was the first thought that popped into Gwen Tozier's head once she started regaining consciousness. Not long after having thought that her eyes started to slowly flutter open. A disgruntled groan escaped her as she consciously started to feel the hard wet ground that was underneath her. _Huh?_ She was still too out of it to figure where she was and why she was laying on the ground. As Gwen moved to get up into a sitting position she smelt something horrible _._ Something _really_ bad. She even made an unpleasing expression due to the rancid smell that was now filling up her nose. _Ugh...that smell._ _Smells like piss and shit._ After thinking this, Gwen gagged a little but she was able to withhold from vomiting any ounce of food she ate that morning.

Now due to her vision still being a bit blurry, Gwen couldn't right away see where she was at yet. Although thanks to the horrible smell that surrounded her, Gwen was given a huge clue on her whereabouts. A clue that left her high-strung. Visually, however, it didn't take long for her to realize just _where_ she was. And when Gwen saw the area that was in front of her, her already overwhelmed heart nearly stopped from absolute horror.

 _The sewers._

This exact location that Gwen was now seeing with her own eyes made something within her click dreadfully and it was an awful feeling to experience. A billion questions started to appear in her mind and the more questions she had the more flabbergasted and frighten she became. The main question that stood out the most (and the one that left her nervous) was of course: _How the hell did I get here?_

Then just like that, Gwen suddenly remembered. The Tozier girl felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown on her unexpectedly. She remembered what occurred before she got taken by Pennywise... _IT_. Henry had taken her by complete surprise, holding her throat at knife point. She distinctly remembered her and Henry having a verbal confrontation before a fight started between them and not long after that, Victor came to her rescue...and then Henry stabbing Victor in throat with his knife after he pushed Henry off of her. Gwen remembered she wanted to move, yell, do something to help Victor...but she couldn't. Something was preventing her from doing so. She could only wretchedly watch from the ground as Victor bled out from the wound Henry had given him.

Gwen felt her heartache at the thought of Victor. Despite Henry being the one to have actually stabbed him, Gwen felt as if she had plunged the knife because (in her distressed and depressed mind) it was just as much her fault. Victor did not deserve to go out that way. He was a good guy...a real honest kind of guy. And yet he died...and in a huge way it was _her_ fault.

 _Another boy dead...because of you._

A mocking (inhuman like) voice invaded her thoughts. It was such a familiar sounding voice that it made Gwen feel sadness and trepidation at the same time. Following that strange moment came a strong chilly breeze that caused goosebumps to arise in her arms. Gwen felt her stomach do a weird flip when this occurred. Once again, Gwen's heart felt erupting only this time is was because she finally took notice of what she was wearing. As she finally stood up (a bit woozy) she looked down at herself and her blood ran cold. A dress. She was wearing a damn dress. More specifically the red dress she wore on the night she was supposed to meet up Chase for their date. The same red dress Gwen had thrown away in the trash all that time ago.

No wonder why she was cold. The dress was all she had on. Besides her shoes, which she was luckily enough to still have on her feet. Having to walk around barefoot in the sewer irked her. However, the possibility that she could have walked around barefoot in the sewer went away quickly when she realized another thing. She was wearing _nothing else_ but the red dress. She didn't have on any undergarments. How had she not noticed this right away? Immediately Gwen started to think the worst. She had been forcibly choked to the point of passing out by _IT_ , changed while unconscious, and now she had no undergarments on. Her mind was telling her the obvious answer of the awful thing that what might have happened to her, but Gwen didn't feel any pain from her private area. And as Francine had told her before (they had been ten at the time), usually when a girl had done _it_ she would feel some form of pain or discomfort down there.

...

 _"It supposedly hurts the first time a girl has sex with a guy." Francine explained to her sounding so nonchalantly. "I mean, the guy is sticking his you know what down there."_

 _"But...how is their thing even supposed to fit?" Gwen remembered asking so innocently. The whole concept of having sex mystified her but she couldn't deny that she was curious as well._

 _Francine had shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know...it just does."_

 _..._

Yet Gwen felt nothing that said there had been something physically done to her down _there_. So that to her should have been reassuring enough that she was okay. Except she did not feel okay. Gwen Tozier was far from being okay.

The feeling of being violated was still there because someone or better yet _something_ had changed her clothes without her permission and had seen her _naked_. No one had seen her fully naked...except for Patrick but Gwen did not want to think about him and what he done at the moment. That only made her feel worse. But really she couldn't help it because the thought of someone else (something) seeing her... _all_ of her...while passed out made Gwen sick to her stomach. It was true that she didn't feel any pain down in her privates but what if this _thing_ had still touched her? Just because there was no pain didn't mean she wasn't felt up or something. _Violated_. Gwen wanted to cry, scream out of anger from that happening, except what she saw next deeply disturbed her to the point of almost forgetting the whole clothes and being touched crisis. And that was saying a lot, but what she saw next was truly shocking and disturbing. It was so surreal that her mind was fighting with her, arguing that she was just having a bad dream. That she would wake up any second now and be in bed, safe and sound inside her own home. Oh how she wished it was a bad dream. Unfortunately one quick pinch to her left arm and Gwen knew what she was seeing and experiencing was very real. No matter how much she didn't want it to be.

At first glance it was just like a mountain made up from garbage (and it was) but at a closer look Gwen came to conclusion that the belongings that made up this tall mountain were either toys or items (that could be seen as sentimental) that belonged to younger kids. Now the part that made this sight unbearable was what she saw floating at the very top of this mountain of lost, taken, and forgotten items. It made her stomach churn and a dishearten scream almost escaped her that time.

There were kids floating in the air going around slowly in circles at the top, where some light from the outside was streaming through. There must have been more than a dozen kids...just floating... _dead_. Gwen much to her horror and grief saw how some of the kids were even missing limbs. All those missing kids from the posters around town...posters she had seen numerous times when walking around or even merrily riding her bike...they were _all_ down here...all this time...down in the sewers. In _ITs_ lair. Some of the kids Gwen saw floating she knew personally (somewhat), while the others not so well...nonetheless, such personal relationships didn't matter. Watching all those bodies float was still sickening. Gwen felt her eyes start to tear up from sadness, anger, and the most powerful feeling of all...fear.

 _Those poor kids._

Gwen wanted to thoroughly grieve all this death and misfortune she was witnessing...but she couldn't. Despite the emotional state she was now in, Gwen knew she had to get it together in order to get the hell out of there. She took a deep breath, composing and reading herself to find a way out. Except when Gwen turned around to face the other direction, all her composure feel apart...because that's when she saw her. Her dark brown eyes widen from being completely taken aback.

 _Beverly!_

This time Gwen did make a sound. It was a low one but it was one of recognition and shock. Her red haired friend was floating in mid-air. Once again all sorts of questions began running through Gwen's mind. _IT_ had taken Beverly too? The answer was a full on yes because clearly something wasn't right with her red haired friend. Beverly was wearing one of her casual dresses. It was one Gwen had seen her wear before. However, that wasn't what made Gwen nervous (besides the floating part). Beverly had a look of emptiness on her freckled covered youthful face as she gazed upwards, and her beautiful blue greenish eyes were now a strange milky white color. A horrible thought appeared in Gwen's mind about how Beverly was yet another one of _ITs_ victims...but something within Gwen told her that Beverly wasn't dead. Gwen went with that feeling because she refused to accept that the girl she had come to consider as a best friend was dead.

 _Beverly couldn't be_ _dead...no...no..no._

Gwen had protected her before, back in Bill's garage when _IT_ tried to attack her. And in return Beverly had protected her when she had impaled _IT_ through one of the eyes. Gwen had saved her life and Beverly had saved hers in return. So Beverly couldn't be dead...she still had a life to live...and so did the other Losers. This over-protectiveness she felt (not only for Beverly but for the rest of the Losers as well _―_ particularly with Richie) almost had Gwen calling out her name but she stopped from doing so. She doubted calling out her name would bring Beverly out of whatever weird trance she was in. Therefore without wasting another second, Gwen ran to where her red haired friend was floating at instead. She almost tripped twice while doing so but her balance at the moment was the least of her concerns. Once reaching where her best friend was at, Gwen gazed up. Beverly was up pretty high but the Tozier girl figured if she jumped she might have been able to get a hold onto one of her legs. This was one of the few times she was thankful for being tall. However, just as she was about to jump to reach for one of her legs something happened. Something unexpected and nerve-racking.

One second she was there reaching for Beverly and the next she was somewhere else entirely. It was dark and the terrible smell lingered in the air, so Gwen knew she was still down in the sewers, just away from Beverly. However, she still looked around, bewildered. What the hell just happened? Once again it didn't take long for her to feel the hairs on her arms stand up. A chill went down her spine making Gwen cross over arms over her chest. She took a guarded stance. Something was coming. It might have been the blood from her mouth but she could practically taste the ominous presence that was near... _IT_...and how she was right. Just like when she had been locked in the room full of mirrors in the Neibolt House.

Things then took a different turn with what she heard next. Gwen's ears perked up as she blinked a few times, puzzled. Was that...was that carnival music she was hearing? It sure sounded like carnival music...creepy carnival music to be more exact. But where was it coming from? The natural born curious side to her wanted to explore but the more rational side won over...and for good reason. Gwen stayed put as she let her gaze go around the dark area. Not that there was much to see...at first. It wasn't until her eyes caught sight of something bright...something _yellow_ that Gwen let out a gasp. Her facial features took a scared turn, with her eyes widening again and her mouth slightly opening.

There was no doubt that what she was looking at were eyes. But not human eyes...no they were far from being human. And she knew exactly who these eyes belonged to. There was only one _thing_ that had yellow penetrating eyes like that. Eyes that held nothing but malice behind them.

 _IT_.

Although Gwen couldn't see the exact form _IT_ was taking at the moment, she had a feeling Pennywise lurked behind those eyes. And her assumption only became a conformation when she heard that familiar eerie laugh with that creepy carnival music in the background getting louder. Within the next few seconds, Gwen muttered a curse word and then took off in the opposite direction she had seen those bright yellow eyes coming from, going through a dark tunnel. Gwen didn't care that she couldn't really see where she was going. At that point all Gwen cared about was putting as much distance between her and _IT_.

Much to her horror though, _ITs_ laugh followed close behind her as she ran. The sewer water she was running through kept splashing onto her legs and as much as it would have disgusted her having the sewer water touch any of her body parts, Gwen just kept moving forward. Her life was at stake, so she didn't have time to worry about disgusting sewer water. Except when she took a quick left turn (almost tripping yet again as she did so) she nearly stopped with what she heard.

 _"Where you going, Gwen?"_

She heard _IT_ say mischievously. Despite the the shock she felt that only made Gwen run a lot faster. In her mind, however, she could practically see the giant sneer the clown had on. It was not a nice image to have in her head. And it was one that wasn't going away.

 _"Don't you want to float?"_

A round of childish giggles filled the air. Gwen just gulped as she continued her desperate running.

 _"We all float down here._ _"_

That last sentence made something else click inside her as she continued to run through the long dark tunnel she was in (a tunnel that seemed like it was never going to end). It occurred to her (as she running for her life) that what was happening right now was exactly like that nightmare she had all that while ago. The one where she had been chased and then when she woke up she saw _YOU'll FLOAT TOO_ in blood on her ceiling. Gwen had thought that the bloody writing was just the after effects from a nightmare that caused her to see that. Due to recent events, now she knew the truth. It hadn't been just a nightmare. That evil entity made her see that. This was all of _ITs_ doing. Everything. Except just how long had _IT_ been a part of her life? Like Gwen had told the Losers, she had been having those awful nightmares of yellow eyes and sharp teeth since she was younger...way younger. Way before she even knew of this evil entity's existence. Of course now that she thought about it better, in a weird way, she had always _known_ about _IT_ without really knowing...but how? Another horrible thought popped into her mind. Had _IT_ planted itself in her life since at a young age? If so...why? Why her?

Her thought process about that question, along with her running, finally came to a halt when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso from behind.

 _"Gotcha!"_

This time Gwen did scream. And it was loud. And it she had done it with such fear and _fury_. The sudden unwelcome touch took her by great surprise. She hadn't even heard footsteps, the hold on her just happened. The feeling of _ITs_ clown arms (Pennywise) grabbing her was rather aggressive and possessive. Gwen couldn't deny how deeply disturbed she was by this. She screamed again, just as vehement, when she felt Pennywise's mouth run along her throat from the hold _IT_ had behind her. Her blood ran cold though when she felt the entity's tongue lick her skin. _ITs_ sharp teeth grazing her throat as this was done. A warning of some sorts that let her know she was under _ITs_ mercy now. Soon the feeling of saliva ran down her throat, leaving her feeling totally disgusted.

This was the Neibolt House all over again...

Except Gwen wasn't going to stand back like an idiot this time and not do anything. The mix emotions of anger and resentment from before when discovering her newly changed clothes returned. Gwen knew screaming was futile because no matter how loud she screamed nobody was going to hear her from all the way down in the sewers. But she did it anyways because it was a natural reaction from being touched by _IT_ , and in a way screaming heightened her strength. Which was a major help as she thrashed against _ITs_ arm. Desperately fighting to get away.

It didn't long after she started her thrashing that _ITs_ licking stopped and a low frustrated growl filled the air.

With a spin that nearly took her breath away, Gwen was harshly turned around. Her screaming stopped momentarily when this occurred. The hold _IT_ had her in, however, did not falter. It actually felt like the entity increased the strength on _ITs_ arms. Which of course angered and scared Gwen. And it certainly didn't help now that she was facing Pennywise. Those beady yellow eyes of _IT_ stared down right at her. Gwen could now see the cruel intentions within those eyes as she shakily (yet bravely) stared back.

By now it was pretty obvious how much _ITs_ clown form not only frightened her, but also made her anxious. Due to the proximity and sudden change positions, Gwen noticed that the right eye where Beverly had injured was out of focus, dropping down lazily and how it was slightly more red than the left eye. The memory of her best friend attacking _IT_ made some of her current perturbation to go away. However, it wasn't a cure. What caused Gwen's nervousness to accumulate again were the two front buck teeth being displayed thanks to the clown openly smiling down at her. They were like rabbit teeth. Even despite the rest of the teeth surrounding _ITs_ mouth being awful and crooked, there was just something about those front teeth that deeply disturbed Gwen. In her mind she made the joke of _IT_ needing dental work but that did nothing to lower her uneasiness. Gwen unfortunately had a feeling that no amount of joking or witty comebacks would help her at the moment.

Gwen found her voice again when see how Pennywise had moved _ITs_ face to be closer to hers. "Get away from me!" She yelled right in the clown's face, spitting even when _IT_ was right next to hers. But _IT_ did not let go of her, nor did it negatively react to her spitting. Which really threw Gwen off. She figured that would have gotten a reaction...but no, at least not in the way she thought. _IT_ just continued to creepily stare down at her, the smile on the clown's face expanding even more.

And instead of letting go (which was what she wanted), _IT_ began to move her around in circles, rather rapidly. This baffled Gwen, but she once again heard the creepy carnival music (music that had never stopped playing) and she soon realized just what was happening. They were dancing some strange waltz. Well, _IT_ was dancing. Gwen was just being dragged along like some doll...being forced to do something she did not want to do. She was rather pissed about it and she made that perfectly clear.

Gwen got on an expression that pretty much showed how against this she was. Her head shaking and trying to pull away from _IT_ was another clue. But her fighting didn't stop _IT_ from spinning her around like some dance partner. _IT_ just tighten the hold on Gwen, forcing her front part of her body to press up against the clown form the _IT_ was taking. Which in return just caused Gwen to feel gross (due to her having nothing underneath the dress) but she also felt a fire start to grow inside of her. Gwen did not want to be up against this evil thing. She did not want _IT_ to touch her again like when she had been changed out of her clothes.

They had made another turn in their dancing (or rather _IT_ did) when Gwen's voice reached a new level of frustration. " _Let me go!"_ She shouted with such passion that _IT_ had actually let her go...surprisingly. This time the creepy carnival music had stopped playing, making it awfully quiet. With the only sound that could be heard was Gwen's rapid breathing. Despite the sudden anger power trip, Gwen was still on guard as she watched the evil entity before her.

 _IT_ didn't need to see her expression to know how truly _angry_ she was. _IT_ could feel her emotions and they were all over the place. But her anger...Gwen's anger was what stood out the most. That anger... _IT_ knew exactly where she had gotten that power from. The strength to push _IT_ away. Such power that it practically glowed from within her. Anger that _IT_ had felt before when trying to attack the red head when coming out of the projector and when _IT_ had slashed the fat boy at the Neibolt House. Such anger that mixed the power she had. Power that she had since birth thanks to one specific being.

 _Maturin._

 _IT_ released another growl at the thought of that old good for nothing Turtle. Even without her wearing that damn Silver necklace, Gwen was still able to one up _IT_ because of that stupid Turtle. _IT_ didn't want to admit the truth of how Gwen's anger caused _IT_ to feel...to feel...dare the word be... _concern_. _IT_ hated thinking that word. For _IT_ had _never_ before felt concern before. Not once. _IT_ was a powerful being and that fed on the weak. And everything on the earth was weak and up for the taking. So _IT_ never had to worry about being brought down. Well, not until now that is.

And though Gwen's anger was her strongest emotion at the moment, _IT_ could still smell her fear but something felt off about it. When _IT_ realized what was causing her smell to be different another growl was released. Her fear was slowly _decreasing._ Gwen still smelled delicious, but _IT_ had to admit that without her fear it just wasn't the same. _IT_ wanted her to be afraid. Without her fear, Gwen was starting be a little less appetizing. Not entirely but where was the fun when the victim wasn't thoroughly afraid? She was starting to become just like Beverly. Minutes prior before Gwen had awoken, the red haired girl had tried helping the passed out dark haired girl only to be stopped by _IT._ When _IT_ had Beverly in a tight grip, she had proclaimed not to be afraid of _IT_ anymore. _IT_ had thought she was lying through her teeth by one whiff of her and _IT_ knew she was telling the truth much to _ITs_ frustration. No ounce of fear could be detected on the red head.

 _IT_ simply couldn't have that be. So the deadlights came out to play. Resulting in Beverly Marsh to be lost now. Floating just like the other dead kids. It was a perfect solution to a problem. Except now the Tozier girl was starting to become less afraid of _IT_...and that really couldn't happen. Not only did _IT_ want her to be afraid, _IT_ needed her to be afraid. However, before _IT_ ended up using the deadlights on her, another type of solution appeared. If Gwen couldn't offer _IT_ the same deliciousness her fear did, perhaps _IT_ would still be able to get that sweet smell and taste from her, just in a different way.

And with this thought, a new plan started to develop.

Pennywise's smile became less eldritch as _IT_ began walking towards Gwen. At this point the space between them had grown thanks to Gwen backing away, causing her back to hit one of the sewer walls. The wall was just as disgusting as the sewer water but Gwen rather she backed up against the wall than be closer to _IT_. Unfortunately for Gwen, her backing up really didn't make a difference considering _IT_ quickly closed the space between them. The thought of running again crossed her mind but stopped from doing so when Pennywise brought _ITs_ arms up planting them on both sides of her head, trapping her.

It was such an intimate pose that she had seen in various romantic movies. Except there was nothing romantic about this. None whatsoever. Gwen's heart started to race but out of nervousness. All sorts of thoughts were popping into her head. However, all her thoughts faltered and her face took a bemused turn when she stared right at Pennywise's face. What was once a full menacing smile was now slowly turning into an alluring one. And those yellow eyes...they were changing...and so were the other clown's features.

 _"I can be anybody you want me to be."_

A voice that was less childish, not at all like _ITs_ when taking the form Pennywise rang out. It was a gruff but soothing voice...and she found herself strangely being attracted to such voice.

 _"A handsome stranger."_

After this was said, Gwen could only silently watch as _IT_ turned into someone else. She was left mystified by what she saw now. _ITs_ clown form no longer stood there in front of her. Instead a man who appeared to be a few years older than her was there. He was wearing clothes that she would consider to be normal. The man looked to be in his early twenties. He had alabaster skin, dark blondish hair, and murky green eyes. The slump of his nose remind Gwen of a little elf, while his full lips remind her of something that could be compared to being sinful. Because those lips...they could cut glass with just one touch.

She let out a gasp when the man brought down one of his hands to run through her now tangled hair. Gwen then felt her body shiver when she felt his other hand run down her one of her arms. This was done rather sensually, bewildering her. Logically she knew this was wrong because this man...this man was _IT_ but something hadn't progressed this knowledge thoroughly because a little voice in her head was saying: _Let him touch you. You like it. You need it._ And Gwen was too dazed to argue back at the moment.

However, when the man's hand started to touch her thigh, slowly going upwards, the skin to skin contact near her most private region made goosebumps appear. His hand was nearly _there_ when feeling of the hairs on her arms started to arise. This finally allowed Gwen to break whatever daze she had been in. It was like she had been slapped because all rationalization hit her hard. She grabbed the man's hand from down there and held it to the point where she could break it before letting go with a harsh throw.

 _"Get the fuck off!"_ She yelled as she took a few steps back. A fiery expression now appeared on her face as she stared at the man again but this time with a new outlook. Gwen couldn't deny that this man was striking. Beautiful even. He was the most handsomest man she had ever laid eyes on so far during her youth. But beauty as Gwen was about to be certain of for herself can be deceiving…and she wasn't about to be deceived.

A displeased expression crossed the handsome man's face that _IT_ had taken form of. She had been under _ITs_ influence for a brief moment when she suddenly found the way to break it. Looks like _IT_ needed to try again before the deadlights came out. _IT_ had a feeling though this next idea would work. For _IT_ knew the color blue meant something to her...so blue quickly replaced green. And the form _IT_ was about to take...well, it was one Gwen would certainly be affected from. _"Then how about someone you know."_

Within an instant Gwen was no longer looking into those beautiful deceitful murky green eyes. She was now staring deeply into blue ones. Chase's eyes. And the handsome man from before no longer stood there. No, someone else was. Someone she had cared deeply for.

 _Chase Campbell._

The blue eyed boy stood a few feet away from her. That soft smile of his (a smile she missed) caused Gwen to almost step forward. She wanted to embrace Chase in a hug him. She wanted to kiss him, but something stopped her from doing so. Before she even took a step forward, her whole body froze and it was like she was suddenly somewhere else entirely. It was like a mini-movie playing in her head while she was silently there at such scene, and what she saw was not wonderful. It was straight out horrific. With her own eyes, Gwen saw an unwillingly Chase slit his wrists with _IT_ laughing close by. His actions, although happening, were not done with intent. And just as she had discovered before, Gwen knew Chase did not purposefully kill himself. Although Gwen did not want to see that, she took this vision as a warning to let her know not to move closer because that this was not the real Chase. Her momentarily confused heart was now set straight and the vision was a great help to break the stupor she was in.

Almost immediately did Gwen begin shaking her head. A few tears escaped her. _NO...NO...NO!_ This wasn't the real Chase. Not the Chase she used to have strong feelings for. A little piece of her heart will always belong to Chase. Feelings that would always be there but with time would lose value little by little. "You're not Chase!" She shouted with such passion that only her fifteen year old self was able to express with no complications. Not unlike her adult self when she would return to Derry twenty seven years from now...not that she was aware of that issue whatsoever. Her voice didn't lose any ounce of anger as her face reddened due to her fiery emotions. "You will never be him, nor anyone I would ever want!"

Her saying that finally caused _IT_ to snap. A growl filled the air, this time more louder than before. Those blue eyes then transformed back into haunting yellow as did Pennywise's form. Looks like things needed to go in a different direction. A wicked grin appeared on _ITs_ face. Not that the entity minded. If she wasn't going to comply with _IT_ using those tricks, then perhaps having her floating down here caught in the deadlights would be better. Having her not age, stuck in a daze forever, with _IT_ feeling and tasting her whenever _IT_ wanted sounded absolutely perfect now.

Before Gwen could do let out another yell or anything really, _IT_ suddenly pounced, knocking her down onto the ground. The low water that was around her splashed in all directions as _IT_ now laid on top of her. Gwen could only now stare in horror as _IT_ gazed down at her with that crazed smile that showed off those sharp razor teeth. Both of _ITs_ clown arms pinned Gwen's own arms above her head. She hated this position. It was the exact one Henry had her in...only this time it was _much_ worse. Of course that didn't stop the Tozier girl from trying to escape _ITs_ hold. She kicked her legs and tried moving her arms but sadly it was to no avail.

Her attempts made _IT_ laugh _._ The sickening laughter soon entered her ears as she felt the rumble thanks to _IT_ pressing closer to the front of her body. Her hating the contact just pleased _IT_ immensely. " _Don't you want it, Gwen? Don't you want it?"_

As Gwen released another angered yell, she quickly grew quiet when she saw the smile on the clown soon expanded. To her panic those sharp teeth began to overtake the clown's entire face. In fact, _ITs_ whole head was nothing but sharp teeth as well, except right in the middle, in the dead center she saw three bright moving circles. They were small but they were definitely eye catching to the point of being _hypnotic_. No matter how much Gwen wanted to look away, just couldn't. She stared at those three bright moving circles with an awed, slowly transforming, empty expression. It felt like a life time before Pennywise closed _ITs_ mouth again, returning to the normal form it was prior.

Except it didn't take long for the entity to be the shocked one.

Firstly, Gwen hadn't floated in the air like _IT_ expected her to. Just like all the other victims. Secondly, Gwen eye's had been milky white as Beverly's for only a _few_ seconds. It wasn't long for the dark brown color to return back to her irises and when Gwen's eyes fully returned to be normal, she gave _IT_ such a glare that the entity was genuinely staggered. _IT_ had even let go of her.

"That doesn't work on me, _asshole._ " Gwen seethed, trying to lift herself up. She had no idea how she was able to fight off that sensation from going into the unknown. When she had stared into those lights she had heard voices. They all had called out her name, asking for help. Those voices sounded familiar and as much as Gwen wanted to help something pulled her back into reality.

That really angered _IT_. How did the deadlights not work on her? No human _ever_ was able to overpower the deadlights. They all either became catatonic or lost their minds to the point of insanity. That was impossible! _IT_ snarled. This had _Maturin_ written all over it. As if the Turtle hadn't interfered enough already. Despite the entity's plan on keeping her trapped in the deadlights not working, _IT_ reverted back in control. _IT_ launched forward again, pinning her down once more. This time lowering _ITs_ face to her neck.

Gwen felt and heard Pennywise inhale her neck when _ITs_ nose was smelling her. Having _IT_ on her again caused Gwen to shiver out of fear and she knew _IT_ must have sensed this. Not long afterwards a spine chilling cackle filled the air.

 _"I would have preferred the easier way, but you've always smelled better whenever you're afraid. Your juicy girly bits smell so sweet. I bet they taste just as sweet, too. They sure feel plump...ready for the taking."_

The thought of _IT_ changing her clothes crossed her mind after saying that. _That sick, demented..._. Gwen though didn't finish that thought, she just continued to fight against the hold _IT_ had on her. Unfortunately that didn't do much but she did not for one second stop her trying. And just because she couldn't physically escape, that didn't mean she couldn't verbally fight back. Her dark eyes glowered at the clown. "Nothing you do is gonna hurt me! I am not scared of you!" She shouted and in some sense what she said was the truth...but it was also a lie. It was true she was starting to feel less scared now, but she knew that _IT_ could still cause her immense pain. Pain that she had a feeling she was about to experience.

Pennywise leveled _ITs_ face on top of hers. That unhinged smile was planted without any ounce of mercy. _"Are you sure about that?"_

Gwen continued her fight but what _IT_ said next caused her to stop.

 _"What would Stanley boy think after I'm through with you?"_ Pennywise's head tilted to the side in mocking thought. _"Do you really think he would still want a tainted girl like you?"_

The mention of Stan had Gwen's heart racing. She did not want his name to be coming out from _ITs_ mouth. The last thing she wanted was for _IT_ to mention the innocent curly haired boy that she had feelings for. Gwen though couldn't help but react back to what _IT_ said. She frowned and tears glistened out of worry. What the hell did that mean? After _IT_ was through with her? And tainted? In her mind Gwen was already tainted. So what could _IT_ possibly mean?

Everything suddenly made sense to Gwen when _ITs_ sharp teeth started to show and she felt _ITs_ claws expand, digging into her wrists. Sadly there was nothing Gwen could do for what occurred next. An incident that would forever haunted her into adulthood _._ Even with or without her fully remembering the exact details of the horrific experience.

 _"Sing for me...you sweet, sweet girl."_

Excruciating pain soon erupted when _IT_ bit into her right shoulder. _ITs_ razor sharp teeth joyfully and mercilessly dug right in. Gwen then let out an ear piercing scream as _IT_ continued to harshly bite her.

Gwen didn't stop screaming until her vision started to get blurry and she was close to passing out again. However, before that happened Gwen saw yellow piercing eyes, along with Pennywise's wicked smile that was now smudged with her own blood. She then felt an unfamiliar sharp stinging sensation as she hazily watched _IT_ escape her line of vision and felt something wet run down her thighs before she finally passed out.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** __***Comes out of hiding behind huge rock*** Hey guys! I know it has been along time since I updated this story but I really do hope this chapter makes up for it. I hope you guys had a **Merry Christmas!** Or **Happy Holidays** for those who don't specifically celebrate **Christmas**. Since I finally finished this chapter, we now just have the Blood Oath scene and then an extra chapter before we head into **Chapter 2**. Exciting, huh? I am seriously anxious to see whatever teaser/trailer they are going to release. They already finished filming. I'm guessing they are going to release at least something during the summer. Hopefully. Since **Chapter 2** is coming out in September. Anyways...since I am now on Winter break the next chapter should be up soon. _

_Did you guys see the new post for season 3 of **Stranger Things**? OMG I am excited. The release date is July 4th and I ready for new episodes. I'm gonna re-watch seasons 1 and 2 again for the **IT/Stranger** **Things** crossover I have. I hope to update that story as well. No promises that it'll be out soon but keep an eye out for an update nonetheless. _

_I also saw the movie the **Summer of 84** and omg...my heart. I was in tears. I recommend it for those who haven't watched it. The movie gives off a **Stranger things/Disturbia** vibe. It's a total popcorn flick. Just a forewarning though be prepared for angst...those who have seen the movie know what I am talking about. But in a way the sadness I felt totally helped when writing the ending of this chapter. It was really emotional and I needed to get into that specific mood. Watching that movie and listening to its soundtrack definitely helped. No matter how much it left a sting in my heart. Listen to **End Of Summer by Le Matos.** That score is amazing but also heartbreaking. _

_I kind of wanted to write more on this author's note but since I've kept you guys waiting I'll just end it here...happy readings...or is it really happy? Idk...I'll let you guys decide. I'm gonna go hide under that rock now. Bye._

 _* **Warning** *_

 _There is mentions of sexual assault in this chapter. Sorry in advance. Once again, read with caution.  
_

 _ **P.S.** Sorry for any spelling errors. I'll fix them later. _

* * *

_"Do not go gentle into that good night,_

 _Old age should burn and rave at close of day;_

 _Rage, rage against the dying of the light."_

 _― Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 24: The emotional battle of 1989_**

Getting the others to join them wasn't as difficult as Bill and Richie thought. Though they knew already in a way that there wouldn't be a struggle. Not once Bill and Richie explained that _IT_ had taken both Beverly and Gwen. After that was told their remaining friends reunited without any issues whatsoever. Each of them felt such power in strength when they rode their bikes through the seemingly peaceful neighborhood leading to the Neibolt house. Though they knew the truth. There was no peace in that neighborhood, or in any that resided in the town of Derry.

On that specific day, however, as they rode their bikes together, and as the wind passed their ears and went through their hair, they each felt gallantry coursing through their veins. Richie especially felt this and his determination to save his older sister remained just as strongly when he and the others finally arrived at the Neibolt house.

A bit of the boys sudden bravery did falter when they got off their bikes. However, that didn't stop any of them from passing the old gates of said house. As this happened, Eddie without any remorse took off his fanny pack and threw it in the air. Not at all caring where it landed. The others had seen this and were quietly proud of the smaller boy for finally taking charge. Eddie though couldn't really bask in his sense of control when it came to finally standing up to his mother. And there was a reason for that.

Out of all of them, (aside from Richie) Eddie felt the most guilty regarding Gwen's capture. He after all had been the last one to have seen Gwen. Maybe if he had stayed with her _IT_ would have never taken her away with Beverly. They would have still gotten together to rescue Beverly but Gwen would have been with them in their rescue group. Instead she, like Beverly, needed saving now. Which was exactly what he and the others were going to do to. They were going to rescue Beverly and Gwen. The two most important girls in their lives.

"Guys spikes." Bill instructed them. Right away the rest of them began handing Bill any loose metal spikes they were able to find on the lawn. The Denbrough boy then carefully put them in the backpack he had brought along to carry now said weapons. Richie and Mike on the other hand already carried weapons of their own. Richie had his older sister's baseball bat inside the sports bag he was carrying, and Mike had his bolt gun on him. The bolt gun he had learned how to use at his grandfather's farm. The others quickly looked around to find anything else that they they could use against _IT_.

After letting his gaze wander, Richie saw a beer bottle on the ground. An idea then quickly came to mind. Setting down the sports bag to the side, he grabbed the beer bottle and then hit it against the front porch railing. However, his planned to make a weapon failed once he saw how short the beer bottle came out to be. The others stared at the bespectacled boy in bemusement. Richie got a sheepish expression on his face. "Oops." He uttered in slight embarrassment. He dropped the beer bottle to the ground. It appeared that Gwen's baseball bat would have to do.

After getting enough weapons and checking they had everything they needed, the six of them were finally ready to enter the Neibolt house. Uneven outtakes of breathes were heard when the front door was opened by Bill. Seeing as he was the leader of the group, Bill was the first to enter. The others followed closely behind him.

As they made their way inside the Neibolt house none of them saw the blue _Trans Am_ that was parked in the grassy field. Nor were they aware of the bloody faced individual that was watching them from inside the drivers seat. They had no idea of the other danger that lurked closely behind them...one that would soon make their appearance known.

Ben had been the second to last to enter the eerie house. Once inside he right away got a feeling that told him to glance back. As soon as he did this he caught sight of something that halted his movements. "Stan?" He called out once noticing the curly haired boy wasn't following them anymore. By now the others had stopped walking and turned their attention onto their bird loving friend.

There stood Stan the Man frozen in place outside the front door of the Neibolt house. Just as he was about to enter his body froze from consternation. His light brown eyes were wide from trepidation as well. The valor he had before had mysteriously gone away. He now looked at his friends almost as if he were going to have a panic attack any second now. Bill quickly took the liberty to try to get him to see reason. Bill and the others needed Stan, but more importantly Stan needed to find the courage within himself in order to continue. Just like the others had.

"Stan, we all have to go." Bill calmly told him. He stuttered what he had to say next but that didn't take away the value his speech contained. It was just as powerful as the one he had given the first time he had entered Neibolt. "B-B-Beverly and Gwen, they were right. If we split up like last time, that clown will kills us one by one. But if we stick together, all of us, we'll win."

"He's right, Stan." Richie earnestly added. "We can win this. We just need to stay together. Stan...we need you." He softened his voice with what he said next. " _Gwen_ , needs you."

Stan instantly felt his heart rate go a lot faster. Except this time it wasn't because of fear. It was because of the love he felt for Gwen. When Bill and Richie had told him and the others about her and Beverly's capture he right away raced over to meet the group. He already failed Gwen once the last time they had been inside the Neibolt house. He couldn't fail her again. Despite being immensely afraid, Stan knew had to do this. For Gwen. For the girl he was in love with. For the girl he would be willing to give his own life if it meant saving her life. As he thought about the girl he loved, Stan finally manned up and entered the Neibolt house. Something he would later do again twenty seven years from now when all the Losers were together.

The group carefully followed Bill further into the house. They each carried flashlights allowing them to see again just how old and stomach-turning the house looked on the inside. Bill told them to watch their footsteps as soon as they started going down the staircase. The same one he had taken the last time he had been there when he ran after _IT_. Bill and the others were not at all shocked to see dried blood on the edge of the well. They knew the blood was in result from Beverly stabbing _IT_ in the eye.

The boys had been quiet though. Each of them staring at the dried blood with several different emotions racing through them. The silence didn't remain long. "Hey Eddie, you got a quarter?" Richie found himself asking. Despite the horror of the situation they were all in his natural self defense of using humor still came out to play.

Eddie now looked further down into the well with wariness and disgust. "I'd wouldn't want to make a wish in that fuckin' thing."

Ben took a step forward and looked down at the gaping hole the well had. "Beverly!" He shouted as he continued to gaze down the well. From the looks of it (thanks to his flashlight) the well appeared to have a long way down. Much to his disappointment (but not shock), there was no response from the red haired girl he harbored feelings for.

"How are we supposed to go down there?" Mike finally asked the question that had been running through all the boys heads.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Bill to come up with a solution. The Denbrough boy managed to find some long rope on the ground. When asked who was able to tie some knots in order for the rope to hold it had been Stan who answered. Stan knew how to tie rope knots fairly well because it had been something his dad taught him when he had been Boy Scouts during his elementary school years.

Mike offered to go last, saying he would make sure the rope held in place in case anything happened. If that were the unfortunate case he then would be there to pull up the rope with the person hanging onto it. Mike knew for sure he was strong enough to do so due based on all the jobs he had been doing at his grandfather's farm. The first person to go was Bill. It didn't take long for the Denbrough boy to find a side opening enough to go in once he started going down the rope. He called out to the others letting them know of this discovery before the next person went.

The next person being Eddie. Mike and the others that were still up there made sure Eddie was secure before letting him go down the rope on his own. The smaller boy took his time due to his broken arm but that was fine with the others. After Eddie finally made it safely with Bill it was then Ben's turn. Followed by Stan and then Richie. That just left Mike.

However, when it was Mike's turn to go down the rope he was suddenly hit rather harshly on his back. He let out a pain filled scream by the unexpected hit as he fell to the ground.

"Mike!" All of the boys started to shout from down the well. They all had heard him release a scream before a loud _thud_ sound was heard. That was not good. "Are you okay?!" Richie called out as the others shouted questions of their own. Their concern for Mike's well-being only increased when there was no answer. Richie once again spoke up. "Mike answer us!"

It was then that he and the others saw a bloody faced individual step into view from the well's opening. It didn't take long for them to recognize who this person was. Even with the blood that covered their face making them look even more crazed than usual.

"Bowers!" Richie said in sheer panic.

Immediately after saying this, Richie and the others tried to grab the rope but unfortunately Henry beat them to it. The older boy grabbed the rope himself and pulled it up before any of the Losers were able to take hold. Henry threw the rope elsewhere before turning his attention onto Mike who was still on the ground, groaning from the pain the hit Henry had given him.

Despite hearing Richie alerting him that it was Bowers, Mike was still shocked by his presence. Although to be fair it had more to due with Henry's face covered in blood, and those eyes of his taking an deranged look. Mike's panic only increased as Henry narrowed those crazed filled eyes onto him.

From down in the well Mike was able to hear his friends yelling for Henry to back off, but sadly that did nothing to stop the older boy's threatening advances on him. No, Henry looked like he was a lion ready to strike for the kill any second now. Mike gulped, his breathing uneven.

"You didn't listen to what I told you, did you?" Henry rhetorically asked him as he walked towards him. His steps were nothing but intimidating. "You should have stayed out of Derry. Your parents didn't and look what happened to them." A cruel smirk appeared on Henry's blood covered face. "I still get sad every time I pass by that pile of ashes. Sad, that I couldn't have done it myself."

Suddenly as if turning on a different switch, Mike's distress turned into fiery anger. The topic of his parents, and Henry talking so disrespectfully about their death, infuriated him. With a glare aimed towards Henry, Mike immediately went to grab his bolt gun that had fallen next to his left side when he lost his balance. Henry already knowing he was going to do that moved a lot faster. Before Mike was able to fully grab the bolt gun, Henry jumped on top of him, pinning his hands down as Mike tried fighting him off. This royally pissed him off. Mike's protests just reminded him of Gwen and how she had given him a few good hits.

"Stay the fuck down!" Henry shouted in annoyance. "I told that little bitch Gwen the same thing and look what happened to her!"

That surprised Mike but it did not stop his fighting as he asked his next question. Dread filled him with whatever answer Henry was going to give him. "What did you do to her?"

"What do you think?" Henry replied gleefully. That cruel smirk that was now planted on his face haunted Mike. "Who do you think some of this blood belongs to?"

Mike's eyes widened. _Some?_ He thought frightfully. Had there been more people Henry had hurt than just Gwen? If that were even true. What if Henry had done worse to her? God, Mike hoped not. Gwen couldn't be dead...she couldn't.

"And now you're next." Henry announced, sneering down at him.

Throughout this whole time they were conversing with one another, Mike had not once stopped his movements. Just as he thought he was slipping through Henry's grasps, the older boy swiftly used one of his hands to punch Mike right in the face. The impact faltered Mike's fighting and Henry right used this as an advantage. He grabbed Mike's bolt gun from the ground and aimed the bolt right on his forehead. By that point Mike's composure had come back and he now stared at a laughing Henry Bowers ready to pull the trigger.

The strangest thing then happened next. It was as if time had slowed down for Mike Hanlon. Henry was still holding him down, but the panic he was feeling momentarily went away. Mike's breathing evened out as he began hearing his grandfather's voice.

 _"There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here, like us, or you can be in there, like them. You waste time hemming and hawing and someone else is gonna make that choice for you. Expect you won't know it, until you feel that bot between_ your _eyes."_

Soon after hearing those words of wisdom his grandfather had told him, a different voice then entered his head. A much kinder, softer, voice. Mike right away recognized it to be Gwen's.

 _"You're so more than an outsider, Mike Hanlon."_

That was what Mike needed to hear and remember. With all the strength he had, Mike managed to move his head to the side once Henry finally pulled the trigger. This caused the bolt gun to miss him completely. Henry was clearly thrown back just as much as he was angered by this unexpected outcome. Using Henry's disbelief in having failed killing him, Mike grabbed the nearest rock that was on the floor and with a mighty swing hit Henry right on the side of his head.

The hit he received from the rock was hard enough that it knocked Henry off of him completely. Mike didn't waste any time and quickly got up. He right away took notice that Henry was getting up as well. Mike narrowed his eyes at him, and with a powerful yell that was created by all the merciless bullying Henry had done to him and his friends, Mike ran towards him. With a single push, Mike had Henry falling down the well, his screams echoing as he entered the darkness.

 _"_ Holy shit!" Richie exclaimed, as he and his friends watched Henry Bowers' figure escape from their eyesight. He and the others soon began calling out for Mike as their flashlights aimed upwards. They all felt instant relief when Mike came into view at the top opening. The group felt even more relief once they heard Mike speak.

 _"_ I'm okay, I'm okay." Mike answered as he tried controlling his heavy breathing. He was still in slight shock from what just happened. Due to his heightened emotions by accident he knocked over the ammunition he had brought into the well. With a dissatisfied face he watched the ammunition disappear into the darkness just as Henry Bowers had done not so long ago. Mike sheepishly told the others this but they did not fault him. How could they after the fight he just had with the insane Henry Bowers? Plus, they still had others weapons on them. Gwen's baseball bat and the few metal spikes they were able to collect from the front of the Neibolt house.

Once Mike made it down with the others, he handed the bolt gun to Bill who put the item into his backpack. Bill then was ready to get the others prepared to continue on with their journey. Mike though stayed put, knowing that he needed to tell them about what Henry had told him. He knew already that Richie out of all of them wasn't going to take what he would say well.

"Guys, Henry said something about Gwen." Mike nervously admitted staring directly at Richie.

Richie felt his stomach drop hearing this. From beside him, Stan's posture became stiff. Eddie and Ben were shocked to hear this. Their concern for their dark haired and dark eyed friend increasing. Bill remained quiet, as he fretfully waited to hear what Mike had to say.

"What?" Richie asked anxiously. The bespectacled boy's patience was wearing then and his trepidation only grew when Mike remained silent. "Mike, what did Bowers' say?"

Mike lowered his eyes. "He made the impression that he'd done something to her...that I think...he killed her."

Richie right away shook his head. One word kept popping up in his head. _Deny_. "No, that's bullshit. He didn't. How could he? _IT_ has her."

" _IT_ took Gwen. I-I-I found her ring. The one Stan gave her." Bill added urgently. There was also that strong knowing feeling he had inside that kept telling him that _IT_ had taken Gwen along with Beverly, along with the determination that made him want to save them even more.

"His face was covered in blood. And he said some of it was Gwen's." Mike weakly said. He didn't want to believe Henry but the deranged boy did have a lot of blood on him. What if Gwen had run into him before _IT_ had taken her? Maybe Henry had done something to her. He was about to voice out this thought but Richie wouldn't have it. As if already knowing what Mike was going to say, Richie spoke up.

"No..." Stan finally voiced, now shaking his head. "She can't be...Gwen has to be alive." He could literally feel his heart close to breaking into a thousand pieces with just thinking about the love of his life being dead. The alternate choice of her being under _ITs_ mercy was not any better, but at least having been captured she was still alive...possibly. Stan quickly shook his head again. Gwen was alive. She had to be. Thinking otherwise was not an option.

"Exactly." Richie hurriedly said. "I don't give a shit how much blood was on his face. Henry Bowers did not kill my sister!" He cried out. His voice cracking as he said this. " _IT_ has her and we're going to get her and Beverly. Then we are going to end that evil looking Ronald McDonald piece of shit clown."

Right after Richie finished saying that an earth-shattering scream erupted.

"Did you guys hear that?" Eddie asked once the scream has ended. His voice shook with dread. If he wasn't so frightened he would have realized right away just how foolish that question sounded because who out of all of them wouldn't have heard a scream that loud? But the truth was little Eddie Kaspbrak was scared. He was scared just as the others were, but even more now after having heard that particular scream.

"Of course...it sounded like..." Bill drawled on, unable to finish that sentence. Though he really didn't need to. All of them knew right away (especially Richie) who that scream belonged to.

Without saying anything else they all ran towards the direction they had heard the scream come from.

* * *

The group of six at the moment really had no idea where they were going. They were just following the path where that pain filled scream had come from. Bill was up front taking the lead, aiming his flashlight forward as were the others. By now all of the boys shoes were soaked by the disgusting sewer water. None of them though could find the time to complain about that. Not even Eddie who had been the most against being near grey water. His determination to find Gwen and Beverly outweighed his hatred for germs. Him finally standing up against his mother was a factor to that.

Soon enough the friends arrived at a part of the underground sewer where there were four different tunnels they could go through. The boys stared at each other, unsure and troubled. They were now at a crossroads on which one to take. If they chose the wrong tunnel who knows where they would end up. More importantly, if they chose the wrong tunnel they wouldn't be able to find the source of where the scream had come from. A source they all knew who it was, but they were too in denial admit it out-loud to themselves yet.

As his gaze went to each tunnel individually, Richie suddenly felt a gentle breeze on him. For a moment there he expected to smell more of the revolting sewer air. To Much to his surprise, the smell didn't worsen when the breeze occurred. No, instead Richie got a warm feeling go through him. It was very brief but it had made him look directly onto the second tunnel. Behind his glasses, his dark eyes narrowed. He aimed his flashlight at said tunnel and he found his voice.

"This way!" Richie announced strongly.

The others quickly moved their flashlights to the tunnel the bespectacled boy was now gesturing to. Before any of them moved, the rest of the Losers looked at Bill, waiting to see what he had to say based on Richie's sudden declaration. The Denbrough boy, however, found no reason to go against Richie's choice. Just like with Richie, he too had a feeling that said that was the right way to go. With a single nod, Bill took charge and followed the path Richie had chosen. The others dutifully followed.

On the positive note, there was far less sewer water in the tunnel they were going through. Whatever sheer luck they had though quickly went away. It didn't take long for the group of friends to come across something that immediately had them stopping dead in their tracks. None of them had to shine their flashlights forward to know who was laying on the floor right in front of them. Something inside those six individuals made them realize who exactly that person was. Still, denial was the path they chose to take. And it would be until one them finally aimed their flashlight forward.

"Is that a body?" Ben finally shakily asked. It felt like hours before any of them had spoken. They all just stood there in trepidation. Ben's eyes started to get glossy. _Please don't let it be who I think it is._ Whatever shield he had though cracked when he heard Eddie speak. The smallest out of all of them aimed their flashlight, not all ready to accept the truth, but he could no longer live in denial.

"Oh my God! It's Gwen!" Eddie shouted in sheer panic. His flashlight made it clear enough for all them to see the Tozier girl. They had all hoped it hadn't been her...but them hoping got them nowhere at the moment. Gwen's pancaked scream they had heard should have indicated that.

Everyone reacted right away at the sight of Gwen's unconscious body. Bill, Eddie, Ben, and Mike were as shell-shocked as ever. Stan remained still as a statue, his face turning white as a sheet. However, the first to move had been Richie. The Tozier boy without wasting another second ran to where his sister was laying on the sewer floor. He put aside Gwen's sports bag as he quickly came to his older sister's aid. His stomach sank when he looked down at Gwen. A horrible thought entered his head.

 _She's dead. I wasn't able to save her in time and now she's dead._

Richie right away disregard this thought. "No! Gwen! Please! no!" He begged getting on his knees for support. The bespectacled boy started to shake his older sister as a way to wake her up.

"Careful." Mike announced as he and the others approached him and an unconscious Gwen. They all hoped she was just unconscious because thinking the other option was too heartbreaking. However, based on her outward appearance that seemed the most logical route to take. "Something bit her." Mike uneasily informed them. "Look at her right shoulder."

Richie immediately stopped his actions. He carefully moved around until he put Gwen's head on his lap. He asked Bill to shine his flashlight on Gwen and the Denbrough boy did that with questions. Gasps filled the air when the bite Mike had pointed out became more noticeable. There he and the others saw a wound. The only semi-good thing one can say was that it wasn't gushing out blood...at least not anymore. The wound looked angry and they knew from a simple glance that it had to have hurt Gwen a lot. Richie's heart clenched with awful realization. Something had _bitten_ Gwen. The bite looked like an animal bite but the Losers knew that it hadn't been just some animal that had bitten her. Especially not with the scream she had released.

"Why is she wearing a dress?" Ben nervously asked.

The Losers, specifically Richie, knew how much Gwen hated wearing dresses. So of course they took notice of the red dress Gwen had on at the moment. It was puzzling as it was troubling for various reasons. Why was she wearing a dress that clearly didn't fit her anymore? One that was now revealing on her because of the mismatched size. Richie felt disgust and anger at whoever forced Gwen to wear the dress. Someone had either made her wear the dress, or they had changed her with her consent. His thoughts immediately went to Henry Bowers. He saw a flash of red and he was ever glad Mike had thrown him down the well. If he hadn't, Richie would have killed Henry for doing that to Gwen. Richie then thought of _IT_. Another feeling he had was saying that _IT_ was the reason Gwen was like this at the moment. Based on the bite mark she had, Richie knew that was caused by _IT_. That fuckin' clown had touched his older sister...and now all Richie wanted to do was end that piece of shit malevolent being.

As for the rest of the Losers, they all felt terrible for even looking at Gwen right now. Sure they had seen her at the quarry (aside from Mike), but somehow seeing her now in that red dress she had on made it more revealing then when she had on her undergarments. The wound she had on her shoulder and how beaten she looked was a major cause for this. The Losers knew she had been through so much and they felt awful that none of them had been there fore her.

"She wasn't wearing this the last time I saw her." Eddie added, sniffling. He hadn't even noticed when he had started crying but he was. Him saying that caused more panic to arise in Richie. What Bill said next though made him want to pass out from anger.

"There's b-b-blood on her legs." Bill solemnly pointed out.

All of them had been focusing solely on her shoulder wound that none of them noticed the blood going down her legs. Richie gazed down and he felt his own blood run cold from looking at the redness that was there. It wasn't gushing out or anything but clearly something had been done to her.

"Scratch marks." Ben uneasily said as if reading the question from inside his head. He shakily pointed to the long marks that were going done her exposed legs. "There's scratch marks all over her legs."

There were scratch marks and the others saw them. Somehow that explanation didn't sit well with Richie. Was that really all it was though? Scratch marks? What exactly did _IT_ do to her? Based on the wounds Gwen had, Richie knew she had been physically attacked but something within him was saying there was more to the story. Something really bad. It was his and the others remaining child innocence (innocence that would soon disappear after today) that made all of them look over the other awful possibility that happened to Gwen. An experience that the Tozier girl would later finally speak about twenty seven years when they returned to Derry.

At the moment though, all the Losers could put their focus on was waking Gwen up. She had to wake up. She just had to. Richie was very adamant about this with the way he was acting.

"Come on, Gwen." Richie said gently putting both his hands on her cheeks. He'd hoped she would wake up with the way he was softly speaking to her, but she didn't. Much to his distress. The Tozier boy began calling out her name more loudly this time, but once again there was no results. Not even the endless tears that fell down his face onto her own woke up Gwen Tozier.

The other Losers soon began to cry as well. Eddie more sorrowfully than before. All they saw was how their friend Gwen Tozier wasn't waking up. There tears were for Gwen, but also for Beverly. They ended up finding Gwen in that awful state, who then knows what kind of state their red haired friend was in. Both Bill and Ben thought that as their concern and anxiousness grew. The word failure kept popping up in all of their heads.

One individual felt more like a failure than the others.

 _I'm sorry, Gwen. I failed you...again._

As he stared at the girl he had fallen in love with, bloody and unconscious, Stan felt as if his soul had left his body. It almost didn't feel real but one pinch on right hand and he knew it was real. As the others went to comfort Richie as he was holding onto his older sister, Stan, who was heartbroken, backed away, full on crying by now. When he moved to wipe his blurry eyed vision, he suddenly felt dizzy, and when he looked around his surroundings he noticed he was somewhere different. Away from his friends and the girl he loved.

Unfortunately the others who were too despaired from finding Gwen on the ground all bloody and broken, didn't even notice the sudden curly haired boy's disappearance.

* * *

Gwen felt like she was floating around a large body of water. Back and forth. She had to admit that it was peaceful. Looking up she could see the reflection of the sun hitting the water. For a brief moment she saw a shadow of a turtle...a massive turtle. The size though did nothing to disturb her. No...she still felt rather at peace. Which was extremely odd considering what had just happened to her.

 _What just happened to her_...

Gwen's eyes then widened from the memory of not that long ago. She started to thrash around the water remembering how _IT_ had pinned her down...bitten her shoulder...and then she felt that pain from down below before passing out. Gwen shut her eyes, her movements not at all stopping. She was about to ready to open her mouth and let out a scream. She did not at all care that she was under water and how her scream wouldn't even be heard and she would most likely die from drowning. Not that she was actually worried about drowning. Something told her that wasn't the way she was going to leave the world. Her rapid movements finally faltered when she heard a voice enter her head. It wasn't a voice she recognized right away, but it had instantly made her relax.

 _"My child, can you hear me?"_

Gwen weakly opened her eyes again but all she could see around her was a bight light from above. It was warm and soothing. This light was not at all like the lights that came from _IT_.

Remembering _ITs_ attack made Gwen's stomach drop. For brief second she felt a sting come from the wound on her shoulder. _ITs_ attack did a number on her. Gwen realized now that she must have been hallucinating or something because of the blood loss. She was still strong enough to be surprised to hear such a caring voice reach out for her. If that voice was even real. Even if it wasn't real though, she knew right away whoever that was, wasn't _IT_. This was a benevolent being...the complete opposite of _IT_. Using all the strength she could muster, Gwen called out for this assistance.

"Please help!" She cried out without actually opening her mouth. Everything she was saying was coming from her head. It didn't take long for the voice to reply back the same way.

 _"You have what you need already."_

"What are you talking about? I don't have anything!"

 _"Yes, you do."_ The voice calmly replied back to her. _"Look within yourself as you have in the past and once you find what you need use the Silver."_

"What? You mean my necklace?" That was only Silver item she had...but how would a necklace be able to help her out? That wasn't a weapon! Not to mention she wasn't even wearing it because she had lost it. "Please." Gwen cried out, frantic. "You have to give me some other form of help!"

 _"I already have. Now hurry, your time is near."_

However, before anything could happen the voice spoke again. This time the voice sounded more solemn than before.

 _"But remember this for later..."_ The voice started off, lowly.

Gwen frowned, deep down already knowing what was about to be said wasn't going to be good. "Remember what?"

There was silence again, and then that benevolent voice spoke.

 _"You'll find love but not the kind of love you wish to have. For the love you want will never last."_

That last sentence confused Gwen as much as it would haunted her later on. "What the hell does that mean?"

 _"You know what it means."_ The voice soberly told her. _"You don't even have to dig deep down to know. Besides, you've already figured it out."_

Repeating what the voice had just said caused Gwen's heart to ache. She now knew exactly what that meant. Her reasoning to stay away from Stan had been justifiable all along. That, however, didn't make it any less painful. She loved Stan...but now she knew for certain she couldn't be with him...or with anyone from that matter. Not that she actually wanted to be with anyone else. Stan was the only person she could see herself with. But that was just a fantasy. All she could think about now was the loss opportunity of happiness she could have had with Stan.

"Y _ou can hate me all you want."_ The voice softly said sensing the emotional pain she was going through. _"What I did to you was unfair but it had to be done. You were the protector_ they _needed. You may not see that now, nor will you for a long time. One day, when you're older and wiser beyond your years you will understand. Until then...goodbye, my child."_

Gwen felt her heartbeat against her chest. The protector they needed? What did that mean? Gwen took a moment to think and then tried connecting the dots. Did the voice mean she was chosen to watch over Richie and her friends? She was their so called protector? If so, Gwen didn't see herself as a protector. Yes, she cared immensely for each and everyone of them and would be anything to ensue their safety, but being officially named as their protector didn't sit well with Gwen.

How was she this supposed all mighty protector? She was a nobody. She was just this ordinary lousy human being who suffered through depression and had hyperactive tendencies. There was nothing extraordinary about her that made her qualified enough to be a protector over the lives of seven kids. The mystical voice surely had been wrong in that part that was told to her.

Gwen was ready to protest this, but before she was even able to say a single word the shadow from the massive turtle passed by again. She had to squint her eyes because of the light from above that the turtle passed. The light was much brighter this time and warmer. Her needed to argue what was said before faltered as Gwen basked in the peace that now surrounded her. She was in such peace that she was not at all bothered when she felt a strong pull, making her go swimming up the surface of the water. Before she reached the top, her vision became blurry and she lost consciousness again.

* * *

"Gwen, wake up. Please, wake up." Richie desperately cried out. He had no idea how long he had kept this up, but he didn't care how much time he spent trying to wake his sister. By now his pleading came out needy and not at all put together anymore. The thirteen year old was falling apart right then and there. All the Losers could do was offer side support as they watched their usually facetious friend cry for his older sister.

"We need you... _.I_ need you." Richie emotionally clarified. He hiccuped as he tasted the tears that fell down his face. His nose was now runny, but he payed little attention to that detail. He really didn't care on how broken he looked at the moment. All he cared about was for Gwen to wake up. She had to. His begging did not cease. "Please wake up." _I can't live without you, big sister. What am I supposed to do if you're not in my life? Please...come back. God, if you really exist please bring her back. Please._

And then suddenly (just when he was about to reluctantly accept that his older sister was really gone), with a heavy intake of air, Gwen Tozier woke up letting out a loud gasp. All the others (including Richie) were surprised by this. It was not at all an unwelcome surprise though. Richie had been quick enough to move out of the way as Gwen lifted herself up, now getting into a sitting position. Her dark eyes were wide, and her breathing was all over the place. She took a few seconds to collect herself, all while the others silently watched. They all were waiting to see what Gwen would do.

Once having gained enough composure, Gwen slowly turned to look at Richie, her eyes narrowed a bit. "Richie?" She asked, unsure. Was this real? Was he and the other Losers here with her? Or was she still dreaming?

Richie rapidly making his way towards her made Gwen more aware of where she really was. "Oh thank God!" He exclaimed, relieved. "Jesus Christ..." He muttered into her hair as he hugged her. He did not at all care how messy and tangled her dark locks were. He just needed to hold her, as if not being near her meant she was not actually awake and talking again. "I thought you were gone for good." He sadly said he as tightened the hug. "I don't know what I would have done if you..."

Gwen now officially knew she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. Nope this was real. The pain she got from her right shoulder wound proved it. After she felt the pain, the memory of what _IT_ had done hit her like slap to the face. She felt another uncomfortable sting but this time the discomfort didn't come from the bite that was on her shoulder. She felt it more downward. She closed her eyes as she kept hugging her brother, pushing away the tears that wanted to leave her. She could feel the scratch marks _IT_ had left on her when she had passed out. However, the pain she felt downward wasn't only because of the scratch wounds that were left by _ITs_ claws.

No...there was pain in an specific area Gwen did not want to think about. She refused to acknowledge this pain aloud. If she didn't say it aloud then it couldn't be true...right? Either way, she would never talk about it, let alone tell anyone. Especially not to her younger brother and the other Losers. By now they had already no doubt seen the scratch wounds on her legs They must have assumed that the blood on her legs had only come from her scratch wounds. Gwen would continue to let them think that because telling them the awful truth was too heart breaking and humiliating for her. Not to mention she did not want to see the reaction on Richie's face. She remembered how he reacted when she brought up the whole Patrick locker room incident. He had been angry, and with this incident Gwen had no doubts that Richie would be angry as well. However, he'd probably also find reasons to blame himself. And that was the last thing Gwen wanted him to do.

So no...Gwen would never tell him, or any of her friends about what _IT_ really did to her. As she continued the hug with her younger brother, she felt a single tear go down her cheek. She tried to shake away these thoughts of _IT_ but that was a rather difficult thing to do when she was still in the sewer, only now her younger brother and friends were here. Not to mention, Beverly was still floating in the air from the last time she had seen her red haired friend. Things were far from being over.

As the hug between brother and sister was coming to an end, Gwen swiftly disregarded the pain she was feeling. When he pulled back, Gwen saw how there were tears on his face but she could tell they were now happy tears this time. Richie then stood up and offered one of his hands to her. Gwen took hold and was gently brought up to stand.

Richie wanted more than anything to ask Gwen what happened. What _IT_ did to her? If she was truly okay? If she had seen Beverly? And so on. Like all the others wanted to ask as well. However, he knew the time for explanations will come later. Right now what Richie needed to do was make Gwen understand how sorry he was and how he didn't hate her. Now that she was standing up again, Richie took hold of her hand. A brotherly gesture that made Gwen want to cry.

"Gwen, I am so sorry that I said I hate you." Richie tearfully started to say. His voice cracking with emotion. "That's not true. I don't hate you. I _never_ could. I am so so sorry. Please, forgive me."

Hearing her brother say that he didn't hate her finally caused the dams in her eyes to break. Gwen released a cry and then a round of tears as she brought Richie into a hug. This time it was her turn to ugly cry. As she hugged her younger brother, Gwen made eye contact with Bill and the soft look alone made him and the others to join the hug.

Gwen felt a whole lot better now that her friends were there with her. It almost made her forget what _IT_ put her through...almost.

After pulling away from the hug with her brother and friends, Gwen was a bit surprised yet thankful when Richie took off his white Hawaiian button up, leaving him in his white t-shirt, jeans, and old sneakers. She thanked him after he offered said clothing item to her. Gwen felt less exposed now that she had on the Hawaiian button up. It wasn't an exact match and it felt a little tight, but at least she felt more covered now with it on. Sadly, there was no way the white button up was going to be blood free because of her shoulder wound, but Richie said he didn't care.

After thanking her younger brother again, Gwen then became puzzled when she stepped on something hard. At first she thought it was a rock and thought nothing of it but once gazing down the flash of Silver made her freeze momentarily. She stared at said items with wide eyes before picking it up. She looked at it, muddled but also awed.

It was her Silver Turtle necklace. Her eyes flickered to Richie as she held the necklace between her fingers.

"Did you bring this?"

Richie shook his head. "No." He looked at the necklace with as much confusion as Gwen.

Suddenly, Gwen remembered that voice from when she had been unconscious.

 _Use the Silver._

This kept repeating in her head even after putting the necklace safely inside one of the pockets the button up had. Gwen felt complete in a way now that she was wearing her necklace again. That strength that had been missing before was there with her again, and she felt a sense of courage building up inside. The moment she was having with herself didn't last long and she felt her world fall apart once more with what Eddie said next.

"Guys, where's Stan?" Eddie asked looking around them. He had found it beyond odd that Stan wasn't partaking in this heartfelt moment now that Gwen had awoken. However, it was then he realized once looking around that there was no sight of their curly haired friend.

Gwen looked at each Loser with wide eyes. Stan had come down with Richie and the others? When she hadn't seen Stan during the group hug, Gwen just assumed the bird loving boy was keeping look out from above. She never actually thought he would find the will to come down here. Stan hated the sewers. He hated anything dirty. But to hear he actually came down here impressed her. Unfortunately, concern pushed away how impressed she was by his bravery because the reality was that Stan was now missing somewhere down in the sewers...where _IT_ surely was somewhere, ready to cause him horrors.

 _"Stanley!"_ Gwen shouted, but her distress increased when she didn't receive a response from him.

* * *

Stan was in a daze.

He spun around several times, trying to figure out where he was. From the looks of it he knew he was still in the sewer, just somewhere different from where he was before with the others. It was dark where he was but not that dark where he couldn't see his feet on the floor or the outlines of the pipes that were around him. He luckily still had his flashlight. With the extra support from the flashlight he was able to see a rusty door several feet away from him. It was closed, but he hoped that it wasn't locked if he tried opening it.

Aiming his flashlight, the light giving him some form of comfort, Stan hurriedly started making his way there. The chills he got all over his body made him stop walking halfway. He could feel that he was being watched at that very second. It was the same eerie feeling Stan got when he had been in his father's study. The curly haired boy almost expected to see Judith when he glanced over his shoulder. Much to his relief there was nothing there. He sighed before turning forward again. The relief Stan felt though went away.

Stan's fear skyrocketed when he saw _IT_ in clown form standing in front of the door. _Pennywise_. That name only made Stan want to run and hide. But just where exactly was he supposed to go? He had no idea where he was. He came close to screaming out for Richie and the others but would that work? What if they were to far for them to hear his cries for help? What then? Stan felt his body start to shake as he slowly backed away.

As _IT_ watched the boy start to back away, a jocular wide smile appeared on _ITs_ white painted face. The entity raised a white gloved hand and waved a slow hello to the boy. An almost friendly gesture had it not been done by an malevolent entity such as _IT_.

" _Already leaving so soon?_ " _IT_ tsked. _"Naughty naughty, boy."_ The clown vigorously said to him.

Stan by that point had put a large distance between him and _IT_. However, he no longer could continue his retreat because he had backed into a wall. Stan wanted to find another way to escape _ITs_ view but there really was nowhere for him to run. All he could truly do was look at the clown in fear. He kept the light on the entity, thinking that maybe (in some form of miracle) the light would keep _IT_ anyway from him. It was a childish thought, but it was all he had. A sorrowful dark thought then entered his head. Maybe he deserved to die this way. After failing Gwen again...perhaps he deserved this. His eyes teared up as he thought about Gwen. He felt goosebumps all over his arms when he saw _ITs_ smile widen even more and the laugh that escaped the entity made Stan feel ill. He felt even more scared when the smile on the clown's face went away and the laughter came to a momentary end.

 _"Fear isn't the only thing I can smell on you."_ An angered growl escaped from _ITs_ throat. _"You like her. I can smell it on you. It's the same disgusting lovey dovey smell that Chase boy had. And it was because of her._ " The clown bared _ITs_ teeth making the entity even more frightening. " _Young love...always ends the same. With one lover dead buried deep in the ground and the other suffering. Or perhaps two dead buried deep after what you saw..."_

Stan released a cry furthering _ITs_ joy from seeing him in such a desolate state.

 _"Any-who... " IT_ chuckled darkly. _"Care to guess what happens to you now?"_ Another terrifying sounding laugh filled the air _. "Stanley boy..."_

Stan jumped in place when he saw _IT_ disappear right before his eyes. One second the clown was there and then the clown was gone. That did nothing to stop the fear that resided within Stan. He didn't feel safe enough to move forward again to where the door was at. It had to be a trap somehow. Stan inhaled and then exhaled as he slowly moved the flashlight around the sewer room he was trapped in. The sound of incoming footsteps made Stan's stomach twist with uneasiness. Nonetheless, he moved the flashlight towards where the sound was coming from.

As soon as he did this, Stan saw the horrific looking woman from his father's painting Judith running towards him. He let out a piercing scream before he was thrown into the dirty sewer ground. The last thing Stan saw was Judith's sharp inhuman teeth lowering onto his face.

* * *

"I-I-I think it came from this way!"

Bill yelled from up front. The Denbrough boy once again was leading the group. Richie was in close second with Gwen closely by his side. The other Losers were behind them as they kept up. Out of all of them, Eddie had been the most worried at first. The smallest boy thought they all would get lost but Bill along the way had told them that this was the right way to go. Despite his worry, Eddie knew he could trust Bill to lead the way.

The group of friends soon enough came across a rusty old door with a large valve on the outside. Right away Gwen knew she and the others had to open up that door. Stan was on the other side. It was like she could feel his presence...and she could tell he was in danger. Her and the others followed Bill's actions and began twisting the large valve. It was a struggle, but with all of them there they managed to get the door opened.

None of them wasted another second and the moment the door was opened they all bolted inside. They right away began calling Stan's name. Gwen's worry only escalated when there's was no answer. Eddie though quickly noticed an abandoned flashlight that was on the ground. The others followed him as he went to grab it. The smaller boy then aimed the flashlight forward. The Losers were then met with an nightmare inducing sight.

There in front of them was an unrealistic disfigured woman dressed in black, feasting on Stan's face. The moment Gwen saw this horrific scene play out, she honestly thought Stan was already dead. Her knees became weak and she felt close to passing out from having thought that. Her actually see that happen to Stan was gut-wrenching. However, it was obvious their sudden appearance threw off the entity because the disfigured woman backed off. When this happened, Gwen and the others saw blood pour out from the teeth marks left on Stan's face.

Despite the blood, Gwen felt instant relief when Stan took a huge intake of air. He was alive. Her relief though was short lived when she realized that disfigured woman was still there. It was almost like she was hissing at them. Gwen jumped in place, but she relaxed when Richie held onto her hand. She was scared, just as he was but she greatly appreciated the comfort he was still trying to give her.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Richie asked in horror. He stood in front of Gwen, trying his hardest to block her from this creatures view. He noticed though how the creature took a step forward and hissed again. This did nothing to falter Richie's protectiveness over his older sister.

Gwen's fear though went away as she was mentally ready herself to take a step forward if needed. She wasn't just going to stand there and let Richie and the others suffer. If she had to, Gwen would fight this horrific looking woman _IT_ had taken the form of. "Get away from him!" She heatedly screamed making the disfigured woman back away. The creature retreated to a nearby pipe where it went behind. For a few seconds the Losers actually thought the creature went away, only to reappear again as Pennywise.

They all gasped, aside from Gwen.

The Tozier girl just kept silent as she glared at the clown. The entity right away could sense her anger, causing the smile on the clown's face to have more of a wicked meaning for Gwen. She also about lost it when she noticed _ITs_ yellow eyes gleamed with satisfaction as it once again hid behind the pipe. This time _IT_ was gone. Gwen knew it wasn't for good though. She knew her and the other would run into the entity again. And when they did, _IT_ was going to pay...but for right now she needed to check on Stan.

"Stanley!" She and the other Losers yelled before rushing to where the curly haired boy was laying at.

However, the second they had surrounded him, Stan lost it. He was in complete hysterics. The others tried calming him down but his behavior only got worse when Stan caught sight of Gwen kneeling down between Richie and Eddie. The curly haired boy continued to shake his head, thrashing his entire body.

"Stan, it's me!" Gwen persisted, but Stan was too traumatized at the moment. The image of Judith running towards with her sharp teeth was now permanently engraved in his head. Not only that, but the image of an unconscious Gwen haunted him. Which was what caused to him to deny that she was actually there with him.

"No, no, no! You're not Gwen!" Stan frantically shook around, not at all seeing reason. "I saw her! _Sh-Sh-She's_ _dead!"_ He tearfully shouted.

"Stanley! Listen to me!" Gwen shouted before an idea came to mind. Birds. Perhaps naming a few names of the birds she read in the book she had gotten him would calm him down. She knew how much Stan loved birds. It was perhaps a long shot but she still went with it. Some of the names, Gwen knew from memory right away, and the others just magically popped into her mind. Almost as if they had been hiding there for this exact moment. "Robins!" She ardently started to name loudly. "Grey Egrets! Sparrows! Loons! Hummingbirds! Chickadees! Wrens!"

That instantly got Stan to stop his rapid movements. His eyes focused on the dark haired girl kneeling in front of him. "Gwen?" Stan called out. He sounded a lot calmer and softer this time.

Gwen nodded her head. She sniffled as a few tears escaped her. "Yes, it's me."

Stan immediately wrapped his hands around her. "I thought you were dead!"

"No, I'm here Stan." Gwen soothed as she hugged him tightly against her. "I'm here." What Stan said next though almost made her end the hug but she found the will not to. She instead hugged him even closer to her, if that were even possible.

"I love _you,_ Gwen." Stan proclaimed as tears ran down his injured face. "I love you so much."

Out of the moment that was happening between them, Gwen wasn't afraid to admit her _true_ feelings for him. Everything that was told to her during her dream, or whatever that was, was momentarily forgotten. "I love you too." She whispered into his ear. _I think in some unexpected tragic way, I always have. Despite me being too stupid to not notice._ Those four words she had just said to Stan in that kind of context were words Gwen would only ever say to him and actually mean it. Even with all the partners she would have later on in her life, none of them would ever make her feel the way Stan did during their youth (and later on adult life). Those guys would never be on the same level of the love she had for the curly haired boy who had a passion for bird watching and cleanliness. Gwen would only ever love _one_ person that fiercely in her life. "I really do. _"_ She softly said to him.

The two of them continued to hug, completely forgetting that the other Losers were there. That was until Gwen ended the hug and then silently welcomed the others to comfort Stan. As the others hugged Stan and whispered words of love and encouragement, his soft brown eyes never once left Gwen.

As this was happening, Bill caught sight of his little brother wearing his yellow raincoat outside the door they had come through. Without clearly thinking, he grabbed the bolt gun Mike had set down when comforting Stan, and chased after Georgie's retreating form. Right away the first one to notice the Denbrough's departure had been Eddie.

"Bill?!" Eddie called out once noticing how their friend was taking off without them. "Bill?!" The only response he and the others got was the sound of footsteps, going further away from where they were.

* * *

With the help of Mike and Ben, Stan was able to get up. The curly haired boy was still shell-shocked but having Gwen near him made it easier for him to continue on. The Tozier girl held onto Stan's hand as she walked behind Richie and the others. The group had left the sewer room they had found Stan in and were now waking in the tunnel they assumed Bill had gone through. This tunnel unlike the others they had gone through had higher water, making it more difficult for them to walk, let alone for them to run.

Sooner or later, Gwen knew one of them would fall, and not much to her surprise it had been Eddie who had fallen victim to high levels of the sewer water. Eddie tripped, dropping his flashlight fell out of his hands and causing water to splash around.

Richie made a face when he saw his small friend fall into the sewer water. "Ugh, get out of there, dude. That's grey water."

"Wait, wait, wait. Oh my God, where's my fuckin' flashlight?" Eddie frantically asked as he began searching for said item.

"I think it's over here." Gwen said reaching for it. She saw something move and naively thought it had been Eddie's flashlight. However, that wasn't Eddie's flashlight. Her face twisted into absolute horror when the item she grabbed was a corpse. She let go of Stan's hand from shock, and fell in the water. The sudden movement caused the corpse to land right on her. They all screamed and everyone's terror only increased once they recognized who that corpse had been.

"Oh shit! It's Patrick!" Richie informed them in absolute shock and disturbance. After he said that more dead bodies started to appear in the sewer water. Gwen though could only find herself freaking over with the dead body that was on her.

"Get him off! Get him the _fuck_ off me!" Gwen hysterically yelled. Having Patrick's decomposed body on her felt like she was being pinned down by _IT_ again. She couldn't handle the extra weight on her. It disgusted her the same way _IT_ had done so not that long ago.

Richie and Stan were quick to get Patrick's body off of Gwen. Once she was on her feet, Stan took hold of her hand again. The horror Gwen had felt before was slowly going away now that Stan was comforting her again.

"Come on, let's get the fuck out of here!" Richie yelled as he was already leading the way in the direction they were going towards. Away from the dead bodies they had just encountered.

* * *

After finally getting out of that nightmare filled tunnel, the group made it to a chamber where there was dry ground. They all felt a sense of accomplishment when they caught sight of a large opening that led into a massive room. Gwen right away recognized this place because she had been here before _IT_ had severely messed around with her.

Having seen the familiar area, Gwen thought about Beverly. She was still in there...floating. With determination on wanting to save her best friend, Gwen took a step forward. By now she had left go of Stan's hand, but the curly haired boy was still staying close to her. Close enough that he bumped into her when she had come to a halt. Stan didn't need to know why that was.

Richie had given Gwen a look before she passed him.

"Don't do anything reckless, Gwen." Richie told her in such a serious tone of voice that it made the Tozier girl unsure on how to answer. Nothing else was said before they all went inside the large opening.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were met with the sight of Beverly...and it was a strange one. Even for Gwen who had already seen such a scene from earlier. It still felt surreal.

"Bev?" Mike called out but their red haired friend made no response. Beverly was floating mid-air, and they were able to see her eyes were white, dazed.

"How is she in the air?" Richie asked beyond bewildered. His voice shook a little when he asked this questioned.

"Guys." Eddie uttered raising his flashlight up high. "Are those..."

"The missing kids?" Stan finished saying.

"They are." Gwen sorrowfully clarified. "Floating." Despite the sadness she felt for all those kids who had their lives ended so soon, Gwen knew there was a bigger task in hand. She looked up at Beverly. Her eyes already watering. She was strong enough to push the tears away again. She cleared her throat. "We need to get her down."

"Here help me up." Ben said to them. The Losers quickly gave Ben a boost as he managed to grab one of Beverly's ankles. He carefully brought her down to the floor, where she was now eye to eye with Ben. Much to his distress, she still had that milky lost look in her eyes.

"Bev." Ben called out her name as he gently shook her head. "Beverly." He spoke again, this time a little louder. His red haired crush though remained unresponsive. His panic increased.

"The deadlights." Gwen muttered without even realizing.

"The what?" Richie asked as he turned to look at his older sister.

"The deadlights." Gwen replied loudly, more securely. " _IT_ tried to do the same thing to me. Putting me in some catatonic state, but it didn't work.

"Well, how come she isn't waking up?" Ben asked fervently. "What's wrong with her?"

Gwen swallowed the lump in her throat and a few tears escaped her. It hurt a lot to watch Ben suffer from not having Beverly wake up. "I-I-I don't know. Ben, I'm so sorry."

Ben shook Beverly again. The tears on his face never stopped falling as he did this. "Beverly, please! Come on!" He let out a cry and then hugged Beverly. Gently pulling back, Ben looked at Beverly. In his eyes she was perfect. Inside and out. He loved her. She was the first girl he ever loved and he had a feeling she would be the only one. It hurt him a lot knowing he was never going to get a chance to actually tell her how much he loved her. He should have listened to Gwen and just signed his name on the poem he had given her. Now it was too late...or was it?

With tears still going down his face, Ben leaned in and placed a delicate, yet loving kiss on Beverly's lips. The caused Gwen and the others to react right away. Gwen's reaction was her going wide eyed as her mouth fell a little opened. She was definitely shocked that Ben had done that but she also felt proud that he finally stepped up with his feelings for Beverly.

"Wow." Richie awkwardly stated but like the others closely watched to see what would happen.

Each of them felt immediate relief when they saw Beverly blink away the cloudiness from her eyes. A more lively look appeared on her freckled covered face as she started breathing normally again.

"January embers?" Beverly softly said as she stared at Ben. Although Bill's kiss from the school play had been nice, Beverly couldn't help but think that Ben's kiss had been nicer. Magical even. And it was that gentle kiss Ben had given her that made her realize that it had been him who wrote her that lovely poem.

Ben brightly smiled. "My heart burns there, too."

 _True loves kiss...huh._ Gwen thought to herself, almost causing a small smile to appear on her face. _Who would have thunk it?_

"Jesus, fuck." Richie breathed out in relief. He brought everyone into a group hug, aside from Eddie and Stan. The two boys were still affected by the floating kids they had just seen.

It was then after the hug was over that Beverly caught sight of Gwen. She really caught sight of the older girl. Beverly remembered seeing Gwen passed out when she had woken in the sewer. She had tried reaching out for the older girl, only for _IT_ to do that crazy dance before pouncing on her. And then the lights...the awful deadlights. Looking at Gwen though had Beverly feeling more emotional pain than when she had been under the deadlights.

"Gwen?" Beverly called out softly. One look at the older girl and Beverly _knew_. It wasn't necessarily the outfit that gave it away, or the wounds that were on her. Yes, those were huge clues but even if Gwen didn't have any of those indicators, Beverly would have known anyways. One assault survivor detecting another. After what her father had tried doing to her, Beverly could just tell. The red head brought the Tozier girl into a hug, giving her enough time before she pulled her in to object if she didn't want to be touched. Gwen didn't object.

Instead the Tozier girl hugged Beverly as tears ran down her cheeks. Gwen had told herself she wouldn't tell anybody, and that was still the case. From the looks of it, Beverly had figured out on her own and that made Gwen's heartache because she had an awful feeling Beverly had suffered something similar as her. There was no other way her red haired best friend would have been able to tell what she had been through otherwise.

The other Losers watched as the two girls embraced each other, not at all knowing of the full extent of their sufferings. When Gwen ended the hug she gave Beverly a look that said, ' _please don't tell.'_ All Beverly did was give her a discreet nod, letting her know that she wouldn't. Gwen let out a sigh of relief.

"Where's Bill?" Beverly asked once she noticed that Bill wasn't there with them.

Unknown to the Losers, as they reunited, Bill was there with them. The Denbrough boy had finally found his little brother. Georgie was wearing his yellow raincoat but Bill right away noticed something wasn't right. Dread filled him when he saw that Georgie only had one arm. His right arm was completely gone. The little boy came out into the open, walking slowly towards Bill with the paper boat in the left arm he still had. The same paper boat Bill had made him all that while ago.

"Georgie?" Bill softly called out, almost in complete disbelief.

"What took you so long?" Georgie's voice sounded so little and hurt as he continued to walk towards Bill. There was a limp with each step he took, adding more to how vulnerable he appeared to be.

Bill's eyes burned with upset emotion. "I-I was looking for you this whole time."

"I couldn't find my way outta hear." Georgie lowly said. He too sounded close to breaking down into tears. "He said I could have my boat back, Billy."

Bill smiled sadly. He thought back to the day he had made Georgie the boat. How they had been all smiles and laughter before Georgie had left their house on that rainy October day. Oh, how things had been much simpler back then. Filled with less heartbreak. "Was she fast?" He asked him.

"I couldn't keep up with it." Georgie solemnly answered, finally coming to a step in front of him.

That response made Bill see things clearly now. The real Georgie wouldn't have said that. "She, Georgie. You call boats she." By now Bill was fully crying because he realize that this wasn't Georgie. This was not his little brother. No matter how much he wanted it to be.

This impersonation of Georgie continued. The entity had yet to catch on how Bill figured everything out. "Take me home, Billy." He cried, his face scrunching up sorrowfully. "I wanna go home. I miss you, I wanna be with mom and dad."

By now the Losers were behind where Bill stood. They were all shocked to see little Georgie Denbrough. Gwen's shock didn't last long because she knew that wasn't really Georgie. This what was not the sweet little boy she had come to view as a little brother. The same boy she had befriended and would plays _Legos_ with. No, this was _IT_ trying to trick Bill. Despite knowing this, Gwen couldn't help the tears that filled her eyes again. It still hurt a lot to see Georgie, even when it was just a fake version of him. And the missing arm didn't lessen the sadness Gwen felt because she just thought of the real Georgie, and in how much pain he must have been when _IT_ did that to him. The naive, sweet, defenseless, boy she had come to care about as if he were family never stood a chance against the evil entity.

Bill could sense his friends presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and his gaze quickly found Gwen's. The Tozier girl didn't shake her head but she didn't need to. The look she had on her face was all Bill needed for a final conclusion. He swiftly turned to face forward again. His voice shook with what he said next. "I want more than anything for you to be home. With mom and dad, I miss you so much." He took a few steps until he was close enough that he could reach him.

"I love you, Billy." Georgie tearfully said, as he gazed up at him.

Bill felt his heart ache hearing this. "I love you too." He cried out. With a heavy amount of pain yet sureness, he aimed the bolt gun right on his forehead. The sadness in his voice was long gone now. "But you're not Georgie." He said earnestly and then pulled the trigger.

Gwen flinched when she heard the little boy's body hit the ground. There he laid on the ground with a hole on his head. His eyes slightly still open. It was an awful sight to see but Gwen and the others knew Bill had done the right thing. So she and the others were not at all surprised when Georgie's body began thrashing around, almost as if he were having a seizure. Even though none of them were surprised by this outcome, the roars that began to fill the air certainly caused their fears to rise. They were horrific sounding roars. Not at all what a human, let alone an animal would make. No, there was only one thing in this world that was able to make a sound that spine chilling.

What happened next caused the Losers to watch in trepidation. Little's Georgie's body started to transform into the clown Pennywise. The transformation was weird, and they were creeped out having to watch Georgie's arms and legs grow rapidly into that of the clown's. Finally, when the clown's body was complete, _IT_ stood up in a very inhuman like way. It was almost puppet like. The clown's body was slouched, with _ITs_ head staring down at the ground.

Seeing as _IT_ wasn't one hundred percent in focus yet, the others started to shout the same thing.

"Kill it, Bill! Kill it!"

The Denbrough boy aimed the gun at the clown, fully intending to shoot. He like the others had forgotten that there was no more ammunition, aside from Gwen who had not known this piece of information.

"It's not loaded." Mike said lowly. Gwen, who was standing next to Richie, still heard him. A look of worry appeared on her face and it was seen by Mike. The boy returned the expression before switching his gaze onto Bill. "Hey, it's not loaded!" He shouted this time.

Bill, however, thought otherwise and pulled the trigger. A sense of imagination, of hope could be a lot stronger than fear. And that was exactly the case when Bill pulled the bolt gun's trigger on _IT_.

Despite there being no ammunition, the evil entity sure reacted as if there had been. As soon as Bill had pulled the trigger, the clown's forehead started to crack, almost as if it were glass. _IT_ then leaned back, causing the Losers to think the shot Bill delivered had been fatal but that was not the case. With a screech that had Gwen's hands trembling, _IT_ leaned forward again. Yellow eyes flashing before _IT_ launched at Bill.

"Bill watch out!" Richie warned his friend. He and the others had jumped back from the entity. Luckily, his friend took his warning and Bill managed to block the bite _IT_ was trying to give him by using the bolt gun as a shield. He put the bolt gun between _ITs_ sharp teeth. However, Bill was struggling keeping _IT_ away. The entity kept fighting the hold the Denbrough boy had against the entity.

"Leave him alone!" Beverly shouted raising the piece of rebar she had found on the ground. She was ready to stab _IT_ right in the eye again like the last time she had confronted the malevolent being.

 _ITs_ actions against Bill came to a halt. The entity looked to the side, causing the bolt gun from _ITs_ mouth to be thrown. The entity now glared at the red head instead, swiftly blocking her hit. Ben saw this and cried out Beverly's name with great concern. Luckily, Mike jumped in front of Beverly before _IT_ could do more damage to Beverly. Mike held onto a piece of metal spike, and much like Beverly was going to stab _IT_. Before he could do anything, _IT_ with a might force threw Mike.

"Mike!" Gwen yelled in panic when she saw him land hard on the ground after being thrown by _IT_.

Her yelling caused _ITs_ focus to go on her. The entity's yellow eyes gleamed as the clown began hurriedly running towards her. Before the clown was able to reach her though, Bill had jumped on _ITs_ back. He swiftly put a piece of rebar between the entity's sharp teeth. This caused the entity's running to stop. Instead, _IT_ was now thrashing, angered by the boy's attempts of fighting and saving Gwen.

Despite all this, _IT_ managed to catch a glimpse of Gwen. With a snarl the entity started to make _ITs_ way towards her, even with the Denbrough boy. Bill pulled on the rebar hoping that would stop _IT_. Bill's panic only increased when the entity just keep going forward.

However, the problem was quickly solved. Richie who had been beside Gwen decided to run forward. Having enough with the clown trying to get her, Richie jumped on top of Bill, who was in return on top of _IT_.

"Get the fuck away from my sister!" Richie shouted in hatred at the entity.

"Help them!" Beverly yelled once seeing Bill and Richie in such a life threatening predicament.

Thinking only of their friend's safety, both Stan and Ben ran at _IT_. They each took hold of the clown's arms and held onto _IT_ as the clown began manically spinning them around. Each of them became disorientated, ultimately losing their grip. The first to be flung off was Stan, and then Ben. Ben had fallen to the ground right away. He was quickly brought up to stand by Beverly, Mike and Eddie. Stan though was thrown with such force by the entity that he hit a wall before he fell to the ground.

"Stanley!" Gwen cried out as she hurriedly made her way over to the curly haired boy. She felt instant relief when she saw that Stan hadn't lost consciousness. She offered her help and quickly got him to stand up. Stan leaned against her for support and just comfort for a few seconds. He just needed to feel close to her after what happened. He knew full well that this fight wasn't over though.

The both of them realized this when they saw _IT_ throw Richie to the ground as well. The bespectacled boy landed with a loud _thud_. Both Gwen and Stan went to his aid. Once she was close to her younger brother, Gwen wrapped her arms around and him and grabbed the front of his shirt, intending to pull him up. Her actions ceased though at the horrific view of Bill being in _ITs_ grasps. From the way the entity was holding him this time, they knew with just one wrong move and Bill's neck could be snapped. All the Losers could do now was watch with wide eyed, scared, and worried expressions.

"No, don't. Let him go!" Beverly ordered.

The entity shook _ITs_ head. " _No, I'll take him. I'll take all of you. And I'll feast of you flesh as I feed on your fear_." _IT_ grew eerily silent but then rose one of the clown's white gloved covered fingers. " _Or_..." _IT_ shook that finger in the air before lowering it. " _You_ ' _just leave us be."_ _IT_ said and then harshly started petting Bill's face, as if he were a pet. " _I will take him, only him, and then I will have my long rest and you will all live to grow and thrive and lead happy lives, until old age takes you back to the weeds."_

"No, just forget about me." Bill right away said, his voice wavering. That didn't take away the sincerity that was behind what he was saying. "Leave. I'm the one who got you all into this. I'm s-s-sorry."

 _"S-S-Sorry."_ Pennywise mocked, laughing at his and everyone else's distress. _ITs_ smile to the remaining group of friends was patronizing.

"Go." Bill shakily insisted.

Beverly remained in place as she looked at each of her friends. Her expression troubled but also stern. "Guys...we can't."

 _ITs_ yellow then stared solely into Gwen's dark ones. They gleamed with with an emotion that Gwen couldn't tell if it was either elation or impatience.

" _Or_..." The clown began speaking again. " _How about I take you instead and let him go."_

 _"_ No!" Richie right away protested. Stan was who standing next to Gwen had been close to yelling out the same thing. The bespectacled boy beat him to it. Neither of the boys by any means wanted _IT_ to take Bill or Gwen. In fact, none of the Losers wanted this. They weren't about to sacrifice a friend to save another. They were all friends...and friends didn't just abandoned one another.

 _IT_ could already sense the power that was beginning to grow within the group. The entity knew _IT_ needed to act fast. Narrowing _ITs_ yellow eyes onto Gwen, the entity spoke again. This time sounding more suave than before.

 _"Stay with me, young and pretty you will continue to be. Not old and senile ready for a deep grave underneath."_

Gwen took a step forward. Her face might have been calm on the outside but she certainly wasn't feeling that way inside. And the teen knew well enough that this evil entity could sense that fear. Still...she proceeded onward as if nothing was bothering her. "This is what you want, isn't it?" Gwen asked, despite knowing the answer. She slowly lifted her hand that had some of her blood from the shoulder bite _IT_ had given her. As soon as the blood was shown, _ITs_ yellow eyes glowed with interest and hunger. "You want me. That's why you did what you did to me." She fiercely said. She wasn't just talking about the bite _IT_ gave her, but the others despite Beverly didn't know that. _IT_ chuckled darkly sensing her distress. Her dark brown eyes hardened with what she said next. "Fine, take me but you let Bill go." Right away after she said this, all the Losers looked at Gwen as if she lost her mind.

"Gwen no!" Bill shouted. He let out a noise of struggle when _IT_ tightened the hold on him.

Gwen and the others noticed this. Which in result did nothing to waver Gwen's determination on saving Bill. Perhaps what that voice had said was true. Maybe she really was this so called protector. Because she'd be willing to spend her rest of her years with _IT_ , even after what had been done to her. If it meant saving Bill and her friends life...then she'd sacrifice herself for them. Gwen kept her steady gaze on _IT_. "You let him go and everyone else." She said evenly. "You do that and I'll stay with you."

An even bigger eerie smile appeared on _ITs_ face having heard this. The hold _IT_ had on the Denbrough boy lessened ever the slightest.

Richie couldn't take this nonsense anymore. He got up and looked at his sister with disbelief and anger. "What the hell, Gwen? I thought I told you not to be reckless."

Gwen spared her younger brother a side glare. "Seriously, you want to do this now?"

"Hell yeah I do." Richie said determinedly. What his sister wanted to do wasn't heroic...it was tragic, and he wasn't about to stand by like an idiot and not intervene. He walked passed Gwen, and now stood in front of her. She and the others could now practically feel the anger that was radiating off of him. One might have thought his anger was directed only onto Bill, but Richie's anger wasn't aimed at his friend. Not that he needed the evil entity to know that yet.

"I told you, Bill. I fuckin' told you." Richie announced, his expression set into an intense one. "I don't wanna die. It's your fault." He began pacing as he started using his fingers to count down everything his best friend had put him through. "You punched me in the face, you made me walk through shitty water, you brought me to a fuckin' crackhead house."

After complaining about that last part, all the Losers noticed the angered expression that crossed _ITs_ clown form. They did their best to ignore said expression as Richie continued talking. "You got my sister involved in all this fucked up shit, and now..." Richie's lowered his hands, and his voice then turned away from absolute anger and switched it over to determination. The glare that was behind his glasses shifted onto _IT_. The ferocity behind such glare made the entity stagger just a bit because it reminded him of the anger that resided within Gwen. As this was happening, Richie discreetly grabbed Gwen's baseball bat that had fallen to the ground..."I'm gonna have to kill this fuckin' clown." Richie declared raising the baseball bat real up high. " _Welcome to the Losers' Club, asshole!"_ He shouted before rushing forward to the malevolent being, not all afraid.

 _IT_ growled before throwing Bill to the side. The entity's mission now was to block Richie's hit. However, _IT_ never got a chance to. The Losers saw how the hit got _IT_ good on the face. The swing Richie delivered had been strong enough to send the entity on _ITs_ back. Seeing as how the entity was now at a weak point, Mike ran at towards _IT_ with the piece of mike spike he still had. Before he could strike, the entity gained composure and grew burned hands out of _ITs_ throat. The various hands took hold of Mike's weapon. Mike felt his grip start to loosen when he started to hear voices. Voices that sounded a lot like his mother and father.

Stan interfered once he saw how Mike was struggling. Grabbing a broken pipe from the ground, the bird loving boy whacked the entity. _IT_ was not at all expecting a hit from Stan but quickly recovered. The evil entity right before the Losers eyes changed into Judith again. With a hiss, Judith ran towards Stan. The curly haired boy didn't run. He instead released an angered yell before hitting Judith right in the face. All Stan could think about when delivering this blow was the pain _IT_ had caused Gwen earlier. That hit had been pay back.

 _ITs_ attention then went onto Mike again. The entity arms then transformed into what looked like large spider legs. That caused Gwen to nearly have a panic attack but fought against that from happening. She instead with the Losers watched in alarm as _IT_ tried stomping on Mike with those horrific looking legs. Thankfully, Mike managed to get away and once he was in the clear Ben made his move.

Ben grabbed a metal spike from Bill's backpack and rushed at the entity. He stabbed _IT_ on the back but before he could see how much damage he had done, _IT_ twisted the clown's head. Only this time it wasn't a clown's head that was looking down at Ben. It was instead a head of a mummy. The loose bandages started to wrap tightly on Ben's head bringing him up closer to the mummy's teeth.

Bill saw a metal chain on the ground and went for it. With an angered expression, Bill hit the entity causing _IT_ to release Ben. The Losers then closed in on the entity. Each of them ready to start beating the living shit of out said being.

"This is for hurting my sister! You _fucktard!"_ Richie shouted as he yet again hit _IT_ with Gwen's baseball bat. This hit was much more stronger than the first one and that's saying something considering his first hit had left _IT_ in a daze.

Bill hit _IT_ again with the metal chain causing the entity to fall on _ITs_ back. With another yell, Stan hit _IT_ with the broken pipe he had. The hit he delivered this time felt more satisfying than before because Stan was starting to see _IT_ start to lose strength. A few more hits were delivered by the others before _IT_ flipped onto all fours. Yellows eyes connected with Eddie's brown eyes. The smaller boy shook a little when he saw the clowns face transform into the Leper he feared. However, his fear turned to anger after having the Leper throw up all over his face.

The other Losers expected Eddie to full on freak out, but that was not at all what happened next. Instead the smaller boy stood up, trembling with anger. "I am so going to kill you!" Eddie screamed. He used all the strength he had to kick _IT_ right in the face.

The entity twisted _ITs_ body until Beverly came into view. When the red head caught sight of the entity it wasn't a Leper head that was staring at her. It was instead her father. For a brief moment, Beverly felt fear course through her body. Except she then remembered the fight she had with her father. She had won that fight when hitting her father on the head with the toilet seat. She had no idea if he was dead or alive but at the moment Beverly didn't seem to care...not after what he tried doing to her. So the entity taking the form of her father didn't scare her as it would have before.

"Hey Bevvie." The entity in the form of her father chucked. "Are you still my little girl _―"_

Beverly cut off what _IT_ was about to say with a powerful yell. As she did this, she swiftly brought the metal spike she had taken hold of and shoved the weapon into _ITs_ mouth. Not expecting that _IT_ backed away as the metal spike was spit out. Very briefly the Losers thought they had finally weaken _IT_ enough to finish the entity off...but they were wrong.

The entity released a loud roar before _IT_ stood up. The Losers were taken back when they saw how the entity's eyes were now a blood red color. _IT_ then hurriedly looked around until the blood red eyes landed onto Gwen. The Tozier girl knew what was about to happen. That's why she didn't scream when she saw _IT_ jump her way. Nor did she scream when _IT_ landed on top of her. She immediately heard the other Losers coming her way to help her. Her brother's cries of worry ringing in her ears the loudest. She, however, wouldn't need help...not with what she was about to do.

"You wanna eat something?" Gwen finally spoke, her voice held nothing but hatred. "Fine! Eat this you stupid motherfucker!" She shouted as skillfully reached for her Silver Turtle necklace that was inside her brother's button up. Using her right hand she then shoved the item into the entity's mouth. She felt the razor teeth scrap her hand but she ignored the pain long enough to push down the necklace way into the _ITs_ throat. Once she knew the necklace was really in there she quickly pulled her hand out.

Gwen felt immense joy when she started to see _ITs_ form start to shake. The entity was still in the clown form but for a brief moment there Gwen thought she saw those some spider legs from before. It was hard to tell though before how fast fast _IT_ was moving. Gwen though had enough with being in _ITs_ grasps. Using her knee she hit the entity right between the clown's legs. Gwen had a feeling if she hadn't used the necklace that hit wouldn't have hurt the entity, but she had used the necklace. And the hit that once would have not hurt, now caused _IT_ immense pain.

The clown fell off of Gwen, allowing her to escape. From the looks of it, the clown appeared to be choking on the necklace. _ITs_ head was shaking back and fourth as if the taste of the necklace was revolting. The Losers just watched as _IT_ continued to suffer from the sidelines. The entity looked to be in absolute pain. _Good_. Gwen looked at _IT_ with a new a sense of strength. Seeing the clown in such state made the fear she had for the creature slowly start to go away. She now looked at the clown with such fierce valor. _Try messing with me again right now. Try it! I dare you._

 _IT_ tried to stand up again but failed miserably. _IT_ sensed her loss of fear, along with the others. She was growing stronger, and in return influenced the courage of the others to flourish. Low dread started to grow within the malevolent being. _NO. NO. NO! IT_ wanted to rip her wide open for making the entity question the power _IT_ had. At the moment, thanks to the necklace that was down _ITs_ throat, that was impossible to do so. The throb in _ITs_ throat increased until _IT_ was finally able to vomit the necklace out. The necklace was no longer intact, but was quite broken. That did nothing to cause _ITs_ pain to vanish. The entity felt incredible weak now. The blood and icky greenish black goo that _IT_ vomited went everywhere all over the ground was proof of that. _IT_ wanted this to scare the Gwen again, but _IT_ hadn't enough power to do. She still looked at _IT_ with such boldness. Knowing _IT_ wasn't going to win, _IT_ started to back away into the shadows.

"Oh shit!" Eddie said as he and the others watched _IT_ shake oddly. The entity's shaking halted when _IT_ backed up against a huge drain that lead further downwards. The Losers circled the entity, who now looked to be laughing. The Losers were smart enough to not fall for that. Despite _ITs_ low laughter, each of them now knew for sure they had weaken the entity enough to put an end to the madness.

"That's why you d-d-didn't kill Beverly or Gwen because they weren't afraid of you." Bill announced strongly as he and the others approached closer. _ITs_ laughter from the form of Pennywise stopped as _IT_ looked at Bill. The entity's stare did nothing to scare Bill. His gaze on the clown hardened. "And we aren't either. Now you're the one who's afraid, because you're gonna starve."

Gwen stepped forward, her dark eyes filled with such fearlessness that had _IT_ actually wanting to fade away.

"Seeing is believing and although I see you, I don't believe in the power you have over me!"

That was the ultimate wound right there. That last sentence got to _IT_. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, _IT_ felt truly afraid. The powerful malevolent entity that thought _IT_ was unstoppable, felt full fear towards this group of eight individuals who saw each other as friends. The power their friendship created sickened _IT_ as much as it made frightened _IT_. Their glares made _IT_ more vulnerable, but the glare coming from Gwen made _IT_ want to disappear into the darkness. _IT_ knew what had to happen next. The entity gave a growl before using _ITs_ remaining last strength to do a back flip. The entity was now holding onto the edge of the huge drain.

 _"He thrusts his fists against the post and still insists he sees the ghosts."_

Gwen knew this was a saying Bill would say to himself in order to get a handle on his stuttering. She right away assumed _IT_ was now using it as a way to handle the fear _IT_ now had towards them. She had nothing to worry over though because she knew they were going to win.

Stan kept his stare on _IT_ has he quietly passed the metal pipe he had been holding to Bill. The Denbrough boy right away took it. He then raised the metal pipe ready to strike _IT_ one final time. However, he never got the chance because the entity went even lower in the opening. To far down for Bill or any of the Losers to reach _IT_. Those haunting yellow eyes Gwen hated as _ITs_ cackling entered her ears. She along with the others then saw how _ITs_ clown painted white covered skin began to break a part and slowly started to float on up, away from the evil entity. _IT_ then uttered one last final word. But the entity made sure to make eye contact with Gwen when _IT_ spoke.

 _"Fear."_

Flashes of _IT_ pinning her down flashed in Gwen's mind. She shoved them away as soon as they appeared, and she once again told herself she would never tell anyone what truly happened to her with what _IT_ did. Never. Beverly figured it out on her own but the others hadn't. And Gwen was going to keep it that way. Right after she thought this, an eerie smile appeared on the clown's now practically nonexistent face.

Before anything else could be said or done, _IT_ finally let go. The Losers could only silently watch as _IT_ went down the well, disappearing into the darkness. Once they entity was completely out of view, they all looked at each other. None of the friends could figure out what to say to each other after having gone through all that. But of course it was Richie who was the first to speak amongst the group of close friends.

"I know what I'm doing for my summer experience essay." Richie halfheartedly jested.

Gwen scoffed lightly, but she gently brought her brother into a side hug. She made sure it wasn't the side that had her shoulder wound. "Summer experience essay?" She quipped. "Think about the college application essay you can write one day." That got Richie to really smile. It was a small smile but it was as genuine as any of his jocular smiles.

When Gwen turned to her left to look at Stan, she noticed how his gaze was on the ground. She reached for one of his hands and gave it a squeeze. Stan lifted his gaze and his light brown eyes landed onto her dark brown eyes. The moment they had before when she and the others found him played in Gwen's mind. The meaningful words that were exchanged between them caused Gwen's heart to race in both merriment and sadness.

"Guys." Eddie sorrowfully said gaining their attention. Bill and Beverly who had been hugging pulled apart to look at what Eddie and the others were now looking at. "The kids are floating down."

As they continued to watch all the kids that had been reported missing in the town of Derry, something down below caught Bill's eye. His eyes became glossy having realized what it was. Georgie's yellow raincoat. The one he had been wearing the day Bill had thought he had just gone missing. Now after going through everything, Bill knew the awful heartbreaking truth. His little brother had never been missing. _IT_ had killed him, just like with the other missing children. Bill slowly approached the yellow raincoat. He got on his knees and then clutched the yellow raincoat tightly against his chest. He looked at the clothing item and when he saw Georgie's name on it he released a cry.

The others saw this and slowly approached their grieving friend.

Richie was the first to hug Bill. Then Gwen, Beverly, Ben, Mike, Stan, and lastly Eddie who was careful in placing his broken arm. All of them hugging Bill and each other, giving comfort for everything they have each been through and even lost. They all cried because each of them had lost something that day. A part of their childhood innocence.

Gwen Tozier had felt that loss _painfully_.

The dark haired and dark eyed girl cried harshly that day. She cried for Georgie. She cried for Chase. She cried for Victor. She cried for all the innocent lives _IT_ had taken. But most importantly, Gwen cried for not only herself and what she went through down in those dirty sewers (an experience that would haunt her even without fully remembering as time went by), but for her friends. For the horrors they each endured throughout the summer of 1989. Horrors that traumatized them individually.

However, it was through those traumatic experiences that made them closer to each other. It was definitely bittersweet. Still...deep within the sewers, Gwen Tozier cried for what felt like a lifetime, with the only warm security blanket being that she was surrounded by her friends. By the people she cared for to the point of her even willing to die for them. The people who she loved the most in this beautiful, yet cruel, and dangerous world they lived in.

Those same individuals she would later reunite with in order to finally finish what they had started in summer of 1989.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 ** _A/N:_** _Here's the waited chapter that basically concludes the movies plot for **IT: Chapter One**. The Blood Oath scene. However,_ _as_ _I mentioned before I plan to update one more time before heading into the plot for **IT** : **Chapter Two**. That chapter will take place during Gwen's Senior year when she graduates. Look forward for that. Although I ain't gonna lie it's going to be angsty. I apologize now for that. I also wanted to let you guys know, if it feels like I am leaving out some information, let it be known I am doing that on purpose. For instance, I didn't really explain the aftermath with **Henry** , nor if the bodies of **Victor** and **Belch** , and **Henry's** father were discovered. Or what happened to **Beverly's** father after he was knocked out by her because of what he tried to do. Some people say he died, while others say he survived the hit. __The movie didn't really clear that up. Obviously none of us will know until **IT:Chapter Two.** That means I am going to get into all that once we get into **IT:Chapter Two**. __I also didn't mention the aftermath of the kids leaving the sewers, nor of Gwen and Richie's parents reactions when they see the state they are in. I want to add all that in **IT:Chapter Two** in a flashback scene. I just want to see how the movie explains things before I try to include it in my story. Hope that clears things up. _

_Anyways...I haven't heard any new updates for **IT:Chapter Two.** I just keep hearing that a trailer or teaser is supposedly going to drop sometime in April. I have no idea if this is true but it makes sense because the re-adaptation for **Pet Sematary** is coming out in April. We'll just have to wait and see for ourselves. I am excited to see the re-adaptation for **Pet Sematary.** It's one of my favorite **Stephen King** works, the others being **IT** , **Carrie** , **Misery** and **The Mist**. Another one of his works that being turned into a movie is his novel **Doctor Sleep** , which is a sequel to **The Shining.** But we all know that **IT:Chapter Two** is what we're all waiting for. I know I am. _

_I don't know exactly when I'll update the next chapter before I head into **IT:Chapter Two** but I'll to update as soon as possible. I am graduating in May and I'm just super paranoid that if I slack off in my classes I won't walk. I don't wanna get stuck with Senioritis, not when I am finally going to finish college. That would be such a bummer. Anyways...I'll end my author's note here. Enjoy!_

 _Oh...but do enjoy the small **Cujo** reference in this chapter. There will be another reference/Easter egg in the next chapter for another **Stephen King** novel. Care to guess which one it will be? _

* * *

_"But all fairy-tales have rules, and perhaps it's their rules that actually distinguish one fairy-tale from the other. These rules never need to be understood. They only need to be followed. If not, what they promise won't come true."_ _―_ _Jostein Gaarder_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 25: Blood Oath**_

 _ **September, 1989**_

There was something beautiful about this day. Beautiful yet melancholic.

That's what Gwen Tozier thought as she and the Losers' were sitting around the field in front of the kissing bridge. Despite the intensity from all their individual emotions mixing together, all eight of them felt strangely at peace.

The group of friends were sitting on logs, forming a circle. Gwen herself was sat down between Richie and Bill. Across from her view was Stan and Ben. Eddie and Mike were in front of Beverly who in return sat down between Bill and Ben.

Birds chirping could be heard all around the open field, adding to the serenity that surrounded them. That sense of peace they had briefly felt faltered as soon as Beverly began telling them about what she experienced when under _ITs_ influence. How she fell under that catatonic state (the same one Ben was able to get her out of) because of _ITs_ dreaded deadlights.

"I can only remember parts, but…I thought I was dead." Beverly emotionally started telling her friends. Gwen in particular listened with great interest because of her own experience with _ITs_ deadlights. Or better yet what she was lucky enough _not_ to experience for herself. She also listened closely because before today Beverly hadn't told any of them anything about that experience with _ITs_ deadlights.

Gwen herself had right away told the others (once leaving the sewers and the Neibolt house) about her experience with _IT_. Well, not her _whole_ experience. She didn't tell them everything _IT_ had done to her when she had been brutally pinned down on the sewer floor. She did mention how the deadlights for some reason didn't have any affect on her, and how that just ended backfiring because that infuriated _IT_.

Which resulted in her gaining an angry bite that now permanently resided on her right shoulder. A bite wound that Gwen would lie for sometime (and soon that lie would then turn into a distant memory), about how it had been a dog that bit her. Some would ask what kind of dog was it? To which the Tozier girl would respond that it was a big dog. An angry big dog.

Speaking of rather large animals...Gwen also didn't mention the Turtle she had encountered when unconscious. This was because she couldn't exactly remember seeing a large Turtle. Not anymore that is. Her memory of seeing an actual Turtle was hazy. All Gwen could recall when passed out was the benevolent voice she heard. And all she could remember from that alone was her unfortunate luck when it came to love. Those words that were told remained with her and they were messing with her.

That was more emotional pain than physical pain, but it was emotional pain she spared her friends from hearing. Therefore, the Tozier girl made sure to tell them about the experience she did want them to know. The pain she felt from the all injuries _IT_ caused her. Gwen had even told them about the fight she had gotten with Henry before being captured by _IT_. And Victor's sad fate when he got Henry off of her.

Gwen told them everything minus the pain that came from below. Even after escaping the sewers, Gwen sometimes would feel the burn between her legs. It was obvious the first few days. No matter how many times she had showered and scrubbed herself, the pain was there. However, she liked to think that pain was more psychosomatic.

That least that's what she would tell herself at night when she laid in bed. It's what helped her fall asleep. Not that she got much sleep the first few days after her experience with _IT_. Though she supposed none of them really did. Despite _IT_ being gone, Gwen didn't feel secure...not one hundred percent. That's why she couldn't judge Beverly for making them wait. Each of them had gone through something personal with _IT._ The evil entity knew how to get under their skin, and they each reacted in their own way.

But now the eight of them were here... _together_.

Beverly had taken a pause with what she was about to say. She felt as if she had lost her voice but then regained strength when she caught Gwen's gaze. The older girl gave her a nod, encouraging her to go on. There was a new sense of trust and understanding between them. Beverly, being the only one out of the Losers to truly know what Gwen had gone through when in the sewers with _IT_. Not only that, but Beverly had openly told Gwen the truth about her father, and how she had to fight him off. Their friendship had gotten stronger, if that were even possible. Which Gwen was going to have trouble dealing with after Beverly's departure from Derry.

Beverly had returned the nod before continuing. "That's what it felt like. I saw us, saw us together back in the cistern, but we were older…I mean our parents ages."

All the Losers looked at one another after hearing that. Bill was the first to speak at such a confession. He gave the red haired girl a look of puzzlement. "W-w-what were we all doing there?"

Beverly shook her head, unable to fully answer his question. Her eyes lowered down a bit. "I just remembered how we felt, how scared we were, I don't think I can ever forget that."

All the Losers remained quiet after that. Each of them processing what Beverly said. For Gwen she kept trying to picture herself as an adult...back in the sewers again...with _IT_. The thought alone of returning to the sewers made the bite mark that was on her right shoulder sting. She kept her face neutral as she let the pain pass. It was sad to admit but she was getting used to the pain the bite mark would cause her every now and then. It was pain she'd rather feel than the one she had felt from below. That one was thankfully starting to disappear as the days went buy...and hopefully the shoulder pain would go away soon. Though she had a feeling the bite mark would never go away.

None of the Losers knew how much time had gone by before the silence was broken. Bill's gaze landed on a piece of a broken bottle. Shortly after this discovery his eyes hardened with a new set of determination. Bill grabbed the piece of broken bottle as he stood up, his gaze now going over each of his friends. "Swear." He earnestly told them. The grip he had on the broken bottle piece tightened. His stutter was nowhere in existence as he now spoke. "Swear if _IT_ isn't dead...if _IT_ ever comes back, we'll come back too."

Gwen closed her eyes briefly before taking action. With an exhale she stood up and looked directly into Bill's eyes. "I swear." The dark haired girl told him with an unreadable expression. Her voice, however, was a different story. The resolute her voice held at the moment let Bill and the others know that she definitely meant what she just said. This was not an empty promise on her end.

The other Losers followed in her and Bill's steps. Each of them then silently watched as Bill cut his palm. When it was Gwen's turn she bit the bottom of her lip. In her head she kept telling herself that this small cut was nothing compared to what she had gone through. The next person was Richie. Gwen comforted her younger brother when he grimaced at the feeling of his palm being cut. The Tozier siblings then comforted Eddie when it was his turn.

Out of all of them Eddie was the most nervous. However, Gwen was proud at the smaller boy because despite being nervous he still let it happen. The Eddie she had known before the events that happened that summer would have never allowed that to occur. He'd probably run off or rant about how many germs and diseases one could get from a dirty broken piece of bottle. None of that ended up happening because Eddie wasn't necessarily the same person. He wasn't that timid, hypochondriac boy anymore. And as his watch kept beeping, and he made no action of taking his "medication", Gwen knew that Eddie had finally stood up to his overbearing mother. She gave the smaller boy a smile, and it remained longer than she had intended when she saw his cast again. The _LOSER_ that was there now read _LOVER_. Gwen felt a rare happiness that he had taken her advice.

Gwen let her gaze go to each of her friends as Bill cut their palms. She sent each of them a look of comfort when it was there turn. Her breathing picked up a bit (as did her heartbeat) when Bill stood in front of Stan. Stan made eye contact with Gwen and looked at her when Bill gently cut his palm. Stan grimaced an closed his eyes. And just like Gwen (not that he knew what she had been thinking), he told himself this small cut on his palm was nothing compared to the injury he got on his face. When he opened his eyes again the first thing he saw was Gwen. That instantly made him relaxed and he no longer could feel any pain on his palm.

After Stan it didn't take long for Bill to finish cutting the remaining Losers' palms. Bill then went back to stand in his place after finishing cutting their palms. The broken piece of bottle now thrown to the side. The Denbrough boy stuck out both of his hands. The one with the cut palm was closer to Gwen. The Tozier girl didn't hesitate, and gladly took hold of Bill's hand. Gwen stuck out her hand, the one that had the blood running down the cut was closest to Richie. Her younger brother with utter carefulness took hold of her hand. He gave Gwen's hand a squeeze before offering his own cut palm to Eddie. With a deep breath the smaller boy took hold of Richie's hand. Eddie then offered his hand to Mike, to which he accepted and that continued to happen until they were all holding hands.

The blood from the cuts on their palms dripped down onto the grass, and even though that was probably a weird image to picture from an outsiders perspective, none of the Losers were the least bit disturbed. This was an important moment for all of them. This was moment was signifying their friendship and the strength that was created from the bond they had with one another. A bond none of them were going to be able to feel with other people that would enter and leave their lives as the years passed. There was a power growing between all of them...a power that wasn't corruptible or could be mimicked. This feeling they were experiencing at the moment was something they were only going to be able to experience with each other.

Gwen Tozier didn't want this moment to end. They were all together...and dare she say...they were happy. She felt like she was a kid again. As if her innocence was still there. She could tell she wasn't the only one feeling this way. The peaceful expressions the Losers had proved that to her. They were truly at peace right in this moment as they each held hands.

Unfortunately, the moment needed to come to an end. However, the moment ended way to soon in Gwen's opinion. As they each began to let go, Gwen mentally told herself to never forget this moment. This moment which was one of the few happier moment she had with her friends during the summer of 1989. A moment she sadly would end up forgetting as she got older. A moment all the Losers would forget, and wouldn't remember even with the scar that remained from the cut that signified their promise.

"I gotta go." Stan suddenly announced. Everyone in the friend group turned to look at him. As they each stared at him, Stan's light brown were focused on Bill. "I hate you." He evenly spoke causing the Denbrough boy and the others to frown concurrently.

There was silence around the field but the awkwardness of what was just said didn't last very long.

The first to laugh was Stan. His laughter let the others know his declaration had been a fake one. Eddie was the next to burst into laughter, followed by Richie, Gwen, and then the rest of the Losers. When the laughter eventually stopped, Stan shyly made eye contact with Gwen. Her dark eyes stared into his light brown eyes. Although Stan was quiet, his expression said a thousand things.

Gwen contemplated on what to do. She had yet to bring up the emotional encounter they had in the sewers. They had each said I love you to each other. It was a big deal...Gwen knew that. The L word was always a big deal and Gwen had never said I love you out aloud. Well, she had said aloud but only to her family. Except the love she had for Stan was in no way the same love she had for her family or the love she had for the other Losers. She really was in love with Stan. Gwen knew she couldn't keep quiet on the matter anymore. Stan and her needed to talk...even if it was going to cause some heartbreaking results. Something she was dreading but knew it would eventually happen.

Gwen tried her best to ignore her own heartbreak as she spoke. "Can I walk you home?" She softly asked Stan, inwardly hoping he would say no and that she could prolong this even more. That didn't end up being the case.

Stan nodded his head without hesitation.

The other Losers watched as Stan made his way closer to Gwen. Somehow they each had a feeling something was about to happen between them. Except they didn't know it was going to be more heartbreaking than heartwarming. Before leaving, Stan and Gwen each said their goodbyes to the rest of the Losers. None of them knew this was the last time all eight would be together as a group for awhile. Twenty-seven years to be exact. If Gwen had known that she would have made her goodbye more meaningful than the casual "catch you guys on the flip side." Gwen though didn't know...and once looking at this exact moment again as an adult (once regaining her childhood memories), she was going to hate herself for not being more earnest.

Gwen soon found herself walking alongside Stan. She had felt a bit awkward at first now that it was just the two of them. Neither of them said a word as they walked to Stan's house. Gwen knew the purpose of this walk but she had yet to say something that hinted to that reason. She just wasn't looking forward to what was soon about to happen. She let out a sigh as she inwardly argued with herself.

 _Say something. You can't keep pushing this away. This needs to be done. You know that it does._

"You know I've always liked your curls." Gwen finally said, breaking the silence. Immediately she wanted to slap herself. That was not what she had intended to say. What the hell was wrong with her? She was just making this more difficult on herself and was going to cause Stan more pain.

Stan glanced at her as they kept walking. He became sheepish at her endearment towards him. "Even with these bandages on my face?" He asked feeling insecure.

"Even with the bandages." Gwen softly reassured him. She didn't care whether or not his face was going to have permanent scaring from the bites he had received from _IT_. The same way he hadn't cared about her own appearance when going up against Henry and _IT_. For Gwen, Stan was still the cute, bird loving, boy from before. The same boy with OCD tendencies and the boy who seemed to love her despite her own faults. His love for her was strong as the love she had for him...which only made what was about to happen even more devastating.

Stan finally released a smile and felt a very familiar warmth rise to his cheeks. Maybe it was because of her compliment, or perhaps it was because he was done acting like a coward, but Stan grabbed Gwen's hand. He didn't care that it was the one with the cut on her palm. He gently took hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers.

Gwen almost came to a complete stop when that happened. She should have came to a halt and let go...told Stan that this was not right...even though it sure felt like it was. Gwen knew this was just gonna cause more pain as well...but she didn't stop such an action. She let it go on and she hated herself for doing that to Stan. It wasn't like she didn't like holding hands because she did. She loved holding Stan's hand but it was something that she knew wouldn't happen again. Not in a romantic way at least. Gwen wanted to cry right then and there. She didn't though. No...she'd wait until she got home.

Speaking of home...they had ended up reaching Stan's home a lot faster than Gwen thought they would. She didn't know whether to be sad or happy about that. Now that the walk had ended, Gwen knew she needed to get through with what she had intended. Gwen gently let go of Stan's hand and moved to give him some space. The curly haired boy saw nothing wrong with that, figuring she was about to say her own goodbye before heading back to her own home. However, he had something to say to her now that it was just the two of them. Stan probably should have brought this up when they had been walking but he had been too happy with holding her hand.

"I guess me denying I like you would be futile now, huh?" Stan told her. He felt his stomach do nervous twists but he continued talking. As he had said, lying would be pointless. Besides he wanted her to know now. "Well, the truth is I do like you...no, I _love_ you."

Gwen's heart ached when she heard him say this. "Stan..." She whispered. Her he was confessing to her again about how he loved her. This only made her want to burst into tears. She wanted to say it back...oh how much she wanted to...but she fought herself on doing that. She thought back to Chase and Victor. How they died because of her. The images of their deaths entered her mind. Victor's especially. His death got to her the most because she had been there when it happened. She shuttered even more when imaging Stan suffering a familiar fate like Victor's or Chase's.

"And I know you love me too because you said it back...when we were in the sewers."

Gwen didn't fight him on that. "I know I did."

"And you're wearing the ring I gave you...on your wedding finger."

Oh damn her. Gwen was such an idiot. She shouldn't have put on the ring Stan had given her. But ever since her Turtle necklace had been destroyed in the battle against _IT_ , and ever since she had been reunited with the ring (thanks to Richie), it had become her new comfort item. It helped even more that Stan had given it to her. But perhaps wearing the ring at this exact moment wasn't helping things. What Stan said left her in a slight daze. Was she really wearing the ring he gave on her wedding finger? She gazed down at her hand and was left even more shocked. Stan was right...she was wearing the ring on her wedding finger. Her heart fluttered. Why hadn't she realized this before?

Gwen fought against her daze and shook her head. She looked away from her ring.

"I can't." Gwen told him in a weak voice.

Stan felt her heart race but not in a good way this time. It was more out of nervousness than from happiness. "What?"

"I can't do this." Gwen now gestured between the two of them. She hoped that made things more clear.

In a way it did. However, Stan was too shocked to figure out the exact reason why she had said this. He decided to go with the most logical choice. "Is it because you're older than me?" Stan sadly asked. He never really gave much thought on their age difference. Even though he was thirteen and she was fifteen, that never bothered him. If anything his mature personality made up those for those two missing years. Besides in his opinion, Stan acted more mature than most fifteen year old boys that were in Gwen's class.

Gwen's expression fell when Stan asked that. "Oh, Stan, it's not because of our age difference. I mean, sure two years to some is a lot and to others it's not. I just don't see you that way." What a huge lie that was. Not to mention it hurt a lot to even say that. The truth was she _did_ see him that way but she knew she shouldn't. "Not after everything we've been through. With the memories I have."

"What do you mean?" Stan questioned, his voice rising. "You said you love me."

Gwen fought harder to stop her tears from escaping. "I know I did...and I do love you." She shakily said to him. "But I..."

"You what?" Stan urged her to finish her sentence.

"It's like I'm cursed." Gwen confided in him. "The first boy I truly liked died and the other one...Victor... who I was beginning to grow close to ended up meeting the same awful fate. You see my dilemma? Every person I've wanted to become emotionally close to in that way or might have in the future, dies. "

Stan was quick to dispute this. "But that was because of _IT_...and _ITs_ dead, you don't have to worry anymore."

Gwen gave him a sad look. The bite on her right shoulder began to sting again as she thought of _IT_. She knew despite the wound healing a scar of the bite would forever be there. A scar that would be a terrible reminder of what happened during the summer of 1989. "We don't know that for sure and I'm not willing to risk it. Especially if it involves your life."

"So you're just never going to be with anyone?" Stan inquired with a frown.

The heartbreaking truth the benevolent voice had told her briefly entered her mind.

Y _ou'll find love but not the kind of love you wish to have. For the love you want will never last._

Gwen knew what that meant. Love–the kind she read in passionate romance novels and saw in movies–was something she was never going to experience. Although she did find a different kind of love. She found love with her friends. To her it was way more meaningful but she had to admit it left a empty feeling within her at how she wasn't ever going to experience the amorous type of love. She wanted to shed tears at how lonely her future was going to be. Except even now after everything that had just happened, she knew being without a romantic partner would be better... since every time she came close to forming some form of ardent relationship it always came to an end too fast. First with Chase and then surprisingly with Victor. Unlike with Chase–who she knew she cared for a lot–Gwen didn't know for sure what she felt for Victor. They kissed but that action alone didn't mean she loved him...at least not yet. Their friendship was just beginning to grow and maybe through that friendship their feelings would have expanded. But now she'd never know. Victor was gone just like Chase. And that made her want to break down.

The truth broke her but she tried managing the pain _IT_ had caused.

Gwen's eyes were crestfallen. "Apparently so."

Stan didn't like that answer. His face slightly became one of anger. "That's stupid."

"No, that's smart and aren't you one for logic?" Gwen heatedly questioned.

This time Stan was unresponsive. She got him there but after everything they've gone through logic now at the moment seemed pointless. "You're gonna be unhappy." He managed to tell to her, his voice low with emotion.

"The price to be pay for being me, I suppose." Gwen answered back. She looked desolated.

Stan softened his eyes. "I want you to be happy. And I want to be the one that makes you happy." He slowly reached for one of her hands again. This time it was the one which had the ring he had given her. With much love, he intertwined their fingers together again and gave a soft squeeze. It was definitely a move that was supposed to be comforting.

For Gwen though there was no comfort. It just made her even more sad. She didn't let go of his hand, rather just continued holding it. What she was about to say to him wasn't going to be easy but it had to be said. "You're a great guy, Stan. You're gonna make some girl happy but that girl is not going to be me."

And that was somewhat true. Stan was going to make some other girl (woman) happy. _Years_ from now when he was grown up and far from Derry, Stan would meet and then shortly after marry a woman named Patricia "Patty" Blum in his college years. A woman of the same religious background as him. Patty would catch his interest because of her dark eyes and matching colored hair that reminded Stan of someone he once knew. However, by then his memories were to be a haze, so he had no idea _who_ Patty resembled but the resemblance had lured him enough to marry her. And although he cared dearly for Patty, as the years passed by with their marriage (a marriage one would describe as nice but bland), Stan couldn't help but feel as if his feelings for Patty weren't right. He wouldn't know why that was until twenty-seven years from now when that triggering phone call from Mike Hanlon would bring back _all_ of his memories. The bad and the good ones. And it wouldn't be until then that his love for Gwen Tozier would come up to the surface again. His first and only _real_ love.

Gwen's eyes glistened as did Stan's. "I'm sorry." Her voice broke as she told him this. She tried blinking back the tears that were close from escaping. _I don't deserve someone like you._ _Please don't hate me, Stan...I'm doing this for you...I can't let you suffer the same fate that Chase and Victor did...please understand that._

As she looked into his eyes, Gwen kept being emotionally stirred by his sadness. She couldn't be with him but the least she could do was give him something that she knew would not only be meaningful for him but for her as well. Something they would keep not only in their memories but in their hearts too.

And so she did the one thing Stan himself had been dreaming of doing...she kissed him. On the lips. It was a light gentle kiss but it had been a kiss nonetheless. His first kiss and it had been with his first crush. The girl he loved so dearly now with all his heart. He _cherished_ the kiss. Once it was over, Gwen leaned away and gave him a smile. But to Stan it appeared sad and not at all there. He saw tears run down her cheeks.

"Goodbye, Stanley."

Gwen whispered to him before walking away.

Stan was left there even more confused and heartbroken than ever before. He knew it wasn't a permanent goodbye from her, but why did it feel like it was?

As he thought this, Stan felt his own tears run down his face.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own **IT** or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way._

 _ **A/N:** __We finally have a trailer for **IT: Chapter Two** and OMG! I watched it as soon as it dropped at **9 AM.** I have to say that it was definitely worth the wait. I'm gonna have to re-watch **IT: Chapter One** over and over again now just to simmer down the anticipation I have for **IT: Chapter Two.** _

_***Trailer Talk***_

 _There's a lot I want to bring up._

 _First of all that whole scene with **Beverly** and the old lady at her old apartment... **WOAH**. Right from the novel. There is of course a bit more that happens in the novel but I think we might get it in the movie...very disturbing stuff though. Also the photo **Beverly** saw of "Bob Gray" **Pennywise's** human form is giving me some major ideas with how I can add **Gwen** into that. From the looks of it we might be getting an origin story on **IT**. Which I think is great because that way we'll learn more about the **Macroverse** and even **Maturin**. And we might even get to see **ITs** earth form at the end of the movie. ***cough cough a huge ass spider***_

 _Throughout the whole trailer I just kept imaging **Hayley Atwel**_ ** _l_** _as grownup **Gwen**. I already have ideas with how I am going to have her interact with the adult **Losers** and their reactions when they see her again. Especially **Richie's** and **Stan's**. That's gonna be quite the reunion._

 _And can I just mention the adult **Losers' Club** members cast...the adult cast is amazing. I can tell already they're going to bring their characters justice. _

**_Jessica Chastain_** _is doing amazing job portraying an older **Beverly Marsh**. **James M**_ _ **cavoy** as **Bill** **Denbrough**...man I totally believe he is **Bill** when I saw him in the trailer._ _That shot of him looking into the sewer drainage and seeing his expression...nailed it. You can tell he's still affected by **Georgie's** death even as an adult. _

_I've said it before and I'll say it again, **Bill Hader** is **Richie Tozier!** That one scene with him in the Chinese restaurant we saw proves that. The shot of **Pennywise** coming down from the Paul Bunyan statue with the balloons in hand and a scared **Richie** is very well shot. It's haunting yet captivating. Now from the teaser trailer we got it does look like the **Losers** will be doing the **Ritual of Chud** which is great because that means the **Turtle** can come into play. But even if it doesn't rest assured that I will include **Maturin** just as I already have. In my mind you can't have **IT** without at least some **Maturin**. You need the great **Turtle** that vomited up the universe because of a stomach ache :)_

 _The shot with the adult **Losers** looking into store window and seeing their younger selves was heartbreaking. Especially since **Eddie** and **Stan** aren't in the shot and those who have read the novel or seen the 1990s miniseries know exactly why. However, as we all know, in my version the character of **Stan** will very much be involved in **IT: Chapter Two** when we get into that story-line. That doesn't mean there won't be angst because there will...and a lot of it. _

_Moving on..._

 _I hope you guys enjoy the **Carrie** mention in this chapter. I will be following the time order that follows the 1976 movie release and not the 2013 remake. I think the 1976 version is far better._

 _I took inspiration from the move **Can't Hardly Wait** when writing this majority of this chapter. __It's a 90s teen movie and if you haven't watched it...damn. I feel like the 90s doesn't get enough love. I love the 90s just as much as the 80s. We got a lot of good music from the 90s. I also loved the fashion during that era._ _Anyways, I have to admit this_ _chapter was sad to write. For those of you who aren't aware (which you should be) in the novel and movie after the **Losers' Club** "defeat" **IT** they slowly drift apart from each other. They lose the memories of what they went though that summer and go on as if nothing happened. They eventually stop hanging out together as a group and along the way they each stop talking. I wanted to write this chapter because it focuses more on **Gwen** and the others and how they stopped being close friends. Like I said it's pretty sad, but it's bittersweet in away. You guys will soon know why. _

_Also, I don't own any of the music mentioned in this chapter. But it would be a given that **Gwen** is a huge fan of **Nirvana** and the band (especially the lead singer **Kurt Cobain**_ _) inspires her music wise._ _And just a little lesson here, **Nirvana's** first album **Bleach** was released in 1989, and their second album **Nevermind** was released in 1991. The band definitely gained more popularity in the 90s. I totally see **Gwen** getting into the whole grunge scene when she's in college._

 _Now a lot of people have been asking what kind of singer Gwen would be and I totally see her as a Indie Rock/Grunge singer. I gain a lot of inspiration from other artists like **PJ Harvey, Mazzy Star, A**_ ** _lanis Morissette,_** _and especially_ _ **Annie Hardy** who is the lead singer of the Indie Rock band, **Giant Drag.** Obviously not a lot of people like the Indie Rock/Grunge genre of music but there is actually a good following to it. Even to this day. I picture **Gwen** managing to make it in the music industry when she's close to graduating college and then her having a career with just singing afterwards. _

* * *

_"Things change, friends leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody."_ _― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 26: Complications be damned_**

 _ **June, 1992**_

"We did it! We graduated! _Woohoo_!"

"Class of 1992!"

Loud cheers filled the air thanks to the graduating high school seniors of Derry. Some of those students were still throwing and catching their caps into the air carelessly, despite the graduation ceremony ending a few minutes ago. It seemed, however, that the celebration wasn't going to end anytime soon.

Eighteen year old, Gwen Tozier was among those who cheered outside the high school's football field. Her blonde haired friend, Francine Simmons was next to her as they were walking through the commotion of their overly joyed classmates. The two teens couldn't blame them though. Gwen in particular couldn't fault her classmates on this. This was a special day so they were all allowed to go nuts with celebration if they wanted to. Besides, who was she to judge on cutting loose? She was practically the definition of cutting loose now. Ever since entering her sophomore of high school...a change that those closest to her noticed.

Gwen Tozier though was glad she was done with school. Well, she was glad she was done with high school. As it turned out, Gwen was soon to attend _UC Berkeley_ where she would work to get her B.A. in Music. Something that wouldn't have even happened if she hadn't dropped softball half way through her sophomore year. A decision that caused quite a sit between her and Francine. Her blonde haired friend (along with several other softball team members) were shocked that Gwen had done that. The dark haired girl was on joining the theater club. She wanted to focus more on her musical talent...and that's exactly what Gwen did.

Needless to say a lot of her old softball teammates cut ties with her after that. Except for Francine. Despite leaving the softball team the blonde remained friends with her. Gwen was content with that but she couldn't help but feel as if the friendship she had with Francine no longer felt the same way. She felt no animosity from the blonde so Gwen had no idea why she felt that way. That just left her bewildered.

Francine didn't end up being her only friend. Gwen joining the theater club was like opening a new door. A new door that introduced more people into her life, and those were the people Gwen would hang out with during her remainder high school years. Classmates that she would work with in school plays, eat lunch with, and hang out with. However, just like with Francine the friendships Gwen had with her theater club friends didn't feel one hundred percent real. It just felt like something was missing.

Focusing on her music though was life changing for the Tozier girl. Gwen being in various school performances is what got her to be noticed. Or more specifically it was her singing that got her noticed. Her theater teacher, Mrs. Gillian, had brought one of her colleagues/friends from the _UC Berkeley_ music department to one of the performances. After that it didn't take long for Gwen to hear from the college's music department. Much to her shock she was given a scholarship that helped her parents pay for her schooling, as well as a spot in the summer music program there.

All that was amazing and Gwen would have been crazy to pass up on it. Therefore, she made the decision to _UC Berkeley_ with the scholarship and music program spot. Now the only downside was that Gwen had to leave tomorrow morning. The semester for _UC Berkeley_ didn't start so soon but the music program she got accepted into started a week from today. However, she needed to be on campus before then and already be settled in. Not mention to meet up with the other new admissions and begin orientation.

Now even with the loudness that was still going on, Gwen was able to hear Francine loud and clear with what she said.

"I can't believe we're done!" Francine exclaimed from beside her. The blonde had long ago thrown her cap into the air. Unlike several of their other classmates she hadn't gone looking for it. Her blonde locks were now wavy free.

Gwen too had her hair down and was cap free. The difference being that she had straightened out her hair for graduation. Something her mother Maggie had been happy about. "I know right? Now it's bye-bye Derry and hello new life." The Tozier girl said, smiling.

The smile that was on Francine's face fell a little. "Sucks that we're going to different schools."

Gwen felt her own smile falter. It did suck that Francine and her were going to different schools. Gwen was to California for college and Francine was going to _Florida State University_. As Francine had told Gwen, she got accepted there and was going to major in English. It was sad to think that their friendship could fall apart because of the distance. Something that Gwen knew would happen but at the same time Gwen felt relief that Francine was going to a school far away from Derry, just as she was. Gwen had no idea why she felt this way. However, distance was relief inside her which was very puzzling to her.

Gwen shook her head, getting rid of her previous thoughts. "Don't get all teary eye on me, Franny. I don't leave till morning." She reminded her blonde haired friend. "We can still cause some mayhem." She laughed, joking with her.

Francine's smile managed to return fully after hearing her friend say that. From behind them, Francine heard her mother's voice. The blonde gave her a gesture that she heard her before turning towards Gwen again. "We should go to our families now. Mine our just waiting to take pictures." Francine lightheartedly said.

"I'll be there in a sec." Gwen said as Francine started making her way where the families of the students where at. Seeing Gwen not following her caused Francine to give her a confused expression.

"Where you going? Aren't you going to meet up with your family?"

"I am." Gwen confirmed. "I just forgot something in my locker." She gestured towards the school in a whimsical manner. "I have to go get it."

Francine shook her head, amused. "Leave it to you to forget something on graduation day."

"What can I say? Foggy memory." Gwen playfully told her.

"Well, don't forget about tonight. " Francine smiled excitedly. "Should be one hell of a night."

Now that was something Gwen did not forget about. How could she? This specific night had been talked about nonstop by Francine since the beginning of their senior year. Francine's parents had agreed to let her have the house for a party (with them not there) if she graduated on the honor roll...and she did. So as promised Francine was allowed to throw the party at her house. Her parents weren't naive. They did say that if the house was damaged in anyway, or if the police came there would be consequences. However, by now Francine was clever on how to have a party without getting too crazy, or getting the police involved. She had Gwen to thank for that.

So tonight was going to be fun. Gwen laughed. "I'll see you tonight then."

The blonde gave her one last smile before she went to meet up with her family. Gwen quickly started making her way towards the high school. She needed to hurry up because she knew her parents and Richie were waiting for her to meet up with them. Knowing her mother she for sure wanted to take as many photos as possible. After all, her mother spent a majority of her time in helping her get ready for graduation.

Gwen's movements almost came to a stop when passed the school's gym. Seeing the school's gym made her think about prom that happened a couple weeks ago. Prom was held inside the school gym. Which worked perfectly given how small the senior class was.

Prom, however, had been rather uneventful for Gwen. Now she did love to party but for some reason prom just didn't get her full interest. Despite not being that excited to attend, Gwen did end up going with a group of friends. It did take a lot of convincing from Francine's part. Before she agreed to go with friends, Gwen did have a few boys ask her to prom. Gwen declined every offer. It just didn't seem right for her to go with any of them. It was if she was waiting for the right person to ask her...but who was that right person? Gwen herself didn't know, and evidently it appeared she never would.

Even though she went to the prom, Gwen only lasted there for a couple hours. It was nowhere near the time the prom actually came to an end. From what Francine told her the next day prom lasted to about twelve and Gwen had gone home around ten. Although she left early, Gwen did have somewhat fun...but it had't been nearly enough to get her to stay.

Not to mention throughout her stay at the prom, Gwen couldn't help but think about the Black Prom that happened in Ewen high school. A high school that was located in Chamberlain, Maine. Gwen had her mother to thank for that. She had been the one to tell her about the disaster that happened there. However, her mother wasn't the only one who talked about that disaster. Several classmates of hers talked about it as their own prom approached.

In one specific occasion, Gwen remembered overhearing a group of girls talk about the book one of the survivors wrote _―_ Sue Snell _―_ where she talked about the event that took place in 1976...two years after Gwen was born. Gwen never read the book but she overheard the opinions those girls had on what this Sue Snell girl wrote. They weren't really good opinions. There was definitely some skepticism there.

Despite the mixed reviews Sue Snell's book received, the fact remained that the small town of Chamberlain was now a ghost town.

All thoughts about prom and disasters ended once Gwen stepped foot inside the high school. As she walked down the empty school hallway, Gwen at a certain point had a need to look at one particular locker she passed by. However, the dark haired girl did no such thing and kept walking until she reached her locker. She put in her locker combination and opened her locker. Now there were two things in her locker that she came for. The first being her songbook. The one Richie had given her on her 17th birthday. Despite having it for a year now, and having nearly used up the pages, Gwen still wanted to take it with her to college. She had written a lot of songs in that songbook that she hoped to perform later on.

Now the second thing that was in there was not something she would be able to take with her to college. Hell, it wasn't even something she would be able to take with her once outside with her family. She'd totally be busted if did. Except Gwen wasn't about to let the small bottle of Bourbon she managed to hide in her locker go to waste.

"Cheers." Gwen mumbled to herself before chugging what was left of the small bottle. The alcohol burned her throat but it was a burn she now welcomed and was used to. She had kept the small bottle of bourbon (one she managed to steal) in her locker in case she needed a pick-me-up. Which she did...she always usually found herself in need of a pick-me-up.

In her mind, Gwen thought she had a pretty good handle on her drinking. Especially when it came to her medication. Or should she say...the lack of medication. She was smart with when to take her pills and not to. Although she knew there'd be plenty of people to fight her on that. Like her parents...but it was a good thing they didn't know.

Speaking about what her parents didn't know...

Her parents never once picked on the fact that their daughter loved to drink herself into a hole of nothingness. Richie knew that she drank but Gwen made it sure that he didn't know just how much she drank. In his mind he thought she drank as much as any other teenager going through a rebellious phase did. Only that wasn't the case. Gwen just made it out to seem that it was. She was crafty like that.

It wouldn't be until later on that Richie learned about her drinking problem.

Now for the most part Gwen only drank in her room, or when she went to hang out with her "friends" from the theater club. By now it was like she was almost welcoming having a hangover the next morning after a night of drinking. But it didn't matter if she did because Gwen was skilled in acting out the role of a person who wasn't hung over.

Gwen disposed of the now empty small bottle of bourbon. She then left with her songbook in hand. The alcohol she had just consumed ran in her system as she walked through the school hallways now. The Tozier girl paused right when she almost reached the door to go outside. She watched as the door opened and three teenage boys walked in. Gwen right recognized who they were.

Bill Denbrough, Eddie Kaspbrak, and Stan Uris.

Gwen moved aside to give them some room. "Oh...hey guys." She awkwardly greeted them.

Since entering her sophomore year of high school the friendship she had with each of them slowly drifted away. She still greeted them and smiled every once in awhile when she saw them in the halls but she wasn't _friends_ with them. Not anymore. The same could be said about Beverly Marsh, Mike Hanlon, and Ben Hanscom. Beverly went to go live with her aunt and Gwen lost connection with her...rather quickly too. She only ever saw Mike when he was doing his trips into town but that alone was a rare thing. As for Ben, he moved sometime her junior year.

Despite not being close friends with Ben anymore she was sad to hear he moved. However, at the same time Gwen was also relieved and a little jealous of the Hanscom boy. Relieved because he was no longer in this small town and jealous because he got to leave before her. Wherever the Hanscom boy was now, Gwen hoped he was doing alright.

The awkwardness Gwen felt lessened a little when the teens openly acknowledged her. How awful would it have been if it hadn't gone that route? Thankfully that wasn't an issue and it seemed the boys were in the same shoes as her.

Bill was the first to give her a wave. It was half-hearted and just as awkward as her own greeting. Eddie nodded his head at her with a small smile escaping him. While Stan actually found the nerve to formally greet her.

"Hello, Gwen." Stan felt the back of his ears warm up. He did his best to ignore such feeling. It was proving to be quite the challenge with the dress Gwen was wearing underneath her graduation gown. From the looks of it the dress was short sleeved and lace. It was light green and reached just above her knees. The dress made her dark brown eyes and her dark brown hair pop. He noticed that she had her makeup done too. In his opinion she didn't need makeup because she was already beautiful without it.

"Hey, Stan." Gwen said, returning the greeting as cordial as possible. She let her eyes linger on him before staring at all the three of them. "So...you guys were at the graduation ceremony?" She right away regretted asking that question. Of course they had been at the ceremony...where else could they have been? Nearly everyone in town always came to the high school graduation. It was one of the events the town of Derry made such a big deal of.

Bill nodded his head. "Yeah." His lips forming a smile now. "It was a nice ceremony." He added that last part after fully taking in the graduation gown Gwen had on. It was a classic balk graduation gown. It would be one Bill and the others would soon wear for themselves.

"We heard about _UC Berkeley_." Eddie blurted, entering into the conversation. "Congratulations. That's a very good school." He had been really impressed when he heard Gwen had got accepted into that school. Although he wasn't really surprised. Gwen was smart and had a lot of musical talent. Her singing skills were top notch. She deserved to go to a good college like _UC Berkeley._ Eddie just wished that other people would think the same way. Like his own mother. The news of Gwen getting accepted into _UC Berkeley_ spread like wildfire in Derry. So when his mother Sonia found out she had gone on a full on rant _._ His mother thought that college was too liberal and that Gwen going there to study music was a waste. Eddie of course thought otherwise. Which made his mother upset.

Gwen smiled. "Thanks."

"Richie said you're leaving tomorrow?" Stan quietly brought up. He _hoped_ that wasn't the truth. The curly haired boy knew Gwen was going away for college but he had no idea it was to be the day after her graduation. Unfortunately her answer ended up being one that caused Stan to lower his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Stan muttered.

After that there was silence. And again awkwardness began to fill the air. Not even the alcohol could spare her from ignoring that this time.

Gwen cleared her throat. "Anyways...I should go. My family probably wondering where I am." She began to walk towards the door. A sudden idea though came to mind right when she opened the door. She quickly debated if she should go through with it or out but then decided that she should. Screw the awkwardness. Gwen turned to look at the three boys who were still standing there. She noticed that they each looked surprised that she had turned around.

"Francine's throwing this graduation party at her place tonight." Gwen started telling them. "It's meant only for the senior class but you guys are more than welcome to come. Richie's going to be there too." She added that last sentence in hopes that would get them to come. Gwen knew that Richie was in somewhat good terms with them, especially Stan. "You know he's never one to pass up a party." Gwen said, laughing.

Oh, they knew. Stan in particular knew this. The three sixteen year old boys though were in disbelief that Gwen actually invited them to Francine Simmons' graduation party. The whole high school had been talking about that party non-stop. Like Gwen said it was meant only for the senior class and they were sophomores. For them going to a part like this was a huge deal.

However...

"I'd like to go but I have a family dinner. My dad said he has something important he needs to tell my mom and I. " Bill told her, sounding guilty. He really did want to go but he was never one to give up on family time. Especially not when it involved his dad needing to say something important. Although Bill had a feeling that it either had to do with his job, or what their plans were for that summer. Whatever the reason, Bill hoped that it wasn't anything bad.

Gwen gave Bill a nod of understanding. She looked at Eddie, who even now was still the shortest out of all of them. "Eddie?"

Eddie looked just as guilty as the Denbrough boy. He let out a sigh. "My mom's been feeling unwell. I've been looking after her." That was the truth...at least he thought it was the truth. The real truth was that his mom was fine and was just faking being sick to gain his undivided attention. Something Sonia had been doing more and more as Eddie continued to grow up. She could no longer trick him into thinking he was sick, so she switched things around.

Gwen gave another nod of understanding before focusing her gaze onto the curly haired boy. "What about you Stan?" She found herself gripping onto her songbook tighter as she awaited his answer.

Stan felt his heartbeat pick up. Her full attention on him caused Stan to lose bravado. He mouth felt dry and felt the warmth that was behind his ears travel to his cheeks. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. So he must have looked weird as this happened. The puzzlement he saw in Gwen's eyes from not speaking finally got him to speak. Except he made the mistake of letting his nerves speak for him. "Parties aren't really my thing." Stan quietly said.

His answer hurt more than Gwen thought it would. She quickly covered her wound with casualness. "Oh, well...the invitations there." She shrugged, appearing nonchalant. The act dropped a bit with what she said next. "But in case I don't see you there...have a good summer." She softly told him. Her dark brown eyes stared into his light brown eyes. And then suddenly, once remembering they weren't the only ones there, Gwen looked at Bill and Eddie. "You guys too." She told them in a cheerier voice. "Have a great summer."

"Thanks, hopefully we'll see you soon again." Bill replied, doing his best to control the sudden sadness he was feeling.

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah, maybe you can tell us about how college is."

"Yeah, maybe I will." Gwen faintly smiled. She let her gaze linger onto Stan one more time, and then without another word she walked out the door.

As soon as they were alone Stan felt the stares from Bill and Eddie. Stan slowly turned to look at them and wasn't surprised with the way they were looking at him. They didn't to say a single word in order for Stan to know what they were thinking. Their expressions were enough.

Stanley sighed, lowering his gaze onto the school's hallway floor. He was such an idiot.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're leaving tomorrow."

Richie glumly told his sister as he watched her pack her final suitcase. The sixteen year old was sitting down on the chair that was across from her bed.

"I know. It still feels so surreal." Gwen answered as she nodded her head along to the song _Lithium_ by _Nirvana_. She first found out about the band when she saw the band's music video for _Smells Like Teen Spirit_ on _MTV_. That song was intense but amazing. Ever since then she had come to really love the rest of their music. The band's music was _different_ , and Gwen found herself admiring _Kurt Cobain's_ lyrics and singing. It inspired Gwen with her own music.

Her younger brother also liked the band. Except right now he couldn't get into the song the same way Gwen was. The reminder that this was her last day in Derry put a major downer on things. "Why'd you have to pick such a far away college?" Richie asked with a frown.

This time what he said grabbed her attention. Gwen sighed as she zipped up her suitcase. They've already had this conversation before. In fact, it seemed like this was the hundredth time they've talked about this. She looked his way after turning off her music. "I didn't choose _UC Berkeley,_ Richie. Not at first anyways. I was scouted."

"Same difference." Richie muttered.

"It's a good college and the scholarship I got is gonna help mom and dad pay for it." Gwen evenly told her younger brother. "It was a smart move on my part. I mean, who knows if I would have gotten accepted into any other colleges, let alone given a scholarship and a spot in a music. "

Richie took in what Gwen said and it got him thinking. He wondered what would have happened if Gwen had stayed on the softball path, career wise. Would she have gotten into a college that was far away from home? Or would she have gone to one that was closer? Richie supposed he'd never know. Gwen stuck with singing and now she was going to college for that.

"The fact remains that you're leaving and I'm staying here. In this lame ass town." Richie unhappily told her. "What the hell am I going to do now when you're gone?"

"In two years you'll be out of here too." Gwen said, trying to make him feel better.

That did nothing to help Richie feel better. All his thoughts were still gloom and doom for him. "Two years sounds like forever." The bespectacled teen told her.

"It'll go by fast and then you'll wonder how it even went by fast in the first place." Gwen was solemn for a few seconds there. "Time...is a weird thing."

"You'll still keep in contact right?" Richie asked quietly. "Like I said, I'm fine with you going to college...but at least tell me you won't forget about me." It was a silly thing to think, let alone say aloud. Except Richie couldn't help but be concerned. Especially since Gwen was going off to a college in California. He didn't want their close relationship to get ruined. It already went through a lot of bumps because of how involved she was with the theater club in high school.

Now it wasn't like she purposely ignored him because she didn't. However, they certainly didn't spend as much time as they used to. Not like when they were younger. As much as Richie didn't want to first admit it, the truth was that things changed between them. He finally came into this realization when he entered high school. By then Gwen was a junior and her prioritizes were mainly school work, and theater club stuff.

While Richie's prioritizes was him surviving his first year of high school. His older sister helped him a lot his freshman year, telling him to dos and don'ts. Which proved to be beneficial for Richie. However, it was clear from the first day of school together that they weren't going to run in the same social circles. Gwen had her place and Richie luckily found his. They of course acknowledged each other in the halls, and would every now and then have lunch together, but it never went beyond that.

That was just the way high school worked.

Gwen almost frowned when she heard how quiet and unsure her younger brother sounded. That just wasn't like him. Her leave was really getting to him. She couldn't stay but the least she could was lessen that sadness he had. "Of course I'll keep in contact." Gwen said as she walked over to where he was sitting. She then gave him a playful push to his shoulder, lightening the conversation. "And as if I'll ever forget about you. I mean, who can forget the great Richie Tozier."

A smile broke out on Richie's face after she said this. "I am great, aren't I?"

Gwen laughed, feeling better that he no longer looked as sad as he had just sounded. "Careful there or your head will start to grow bigger with all that ego."

Richie shrugged his shoulders. "Even if it does grow it'll never outgrow your crazy haired head." He told her and then let out a round of laughter when Gwen playfully flipped him off. It was moments like these that he was going to miss when she was gone. Gwen reassured him things would be okay...and he could only hope that was true.

Gwen grinned. "Whatever. Now I do believe we both have a party to get ready for."

Richie stood up, his current height of 5'10 becoming more apparent to Gwen's 5'7.

"Alright, but I'm showering first." Richie told her and then took off without hearing her reply.

"No way I called dibs first remember? Richie?!" Gwen yelled after him. There's was only laughter from his part and then a slam of a door that Gwen right away knew was the bathroom's. That got her to release a low laugh. She wasn't really mad, or even annoyed. Gwen couldn't find it within herself to feel any anger or annoyance. Instead she was amused by her younger brother's antics.

Small things like that never bothered her because they were at a good place right now.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't always stay that way.

As the years went by the Tozier siblings would start to lose touch with each other. As adults the close relationship they had during their youth would fall apart, almost cutting ties with one another.

It wouldn't be until a certain phone call was made that things changed for them.

Of course neither Gwen and Richie knew about any of that.

* * *

Although he had let his nerves get the best of him, Stanley Uris told the truth when he said parties weren't his thing.

He just wasn't the party type of guy.

Parties were loud and full of obnoxious drunk people.

Don't get him wrong, he liked small get-togethers with a few people but he was no fan of parties. Especially high school parties. The last "rager" he had gone to was last year (he had been dragged to go by Richie), and it had ended with Greta Keene throwing up all over his nice (new) clean shirt.

Stan had been trying to help Greta find a place to set her down because it looked like she was about to pass out, and right when he was about to gently set her down on an empty couch, she threw up all over him. The Keene girl then walked away (very drunk ) without saying any sorts of an apology to him. Stan was left feeling disgusted and beyond mortified. Guess that's what happens when he tried to be nice to someone. Especially to someone who had never done anything nice to him.

So yeah...Stan _hated_ parties.

Except this party was different. Right from the moment he stepped foot inside Francine Simmons' house he was able to get a feeling that told him this party was different from any of the previous parties he had gone to. The party guests were still drinking and smoking but the overall vibe of the party was not at all unpleasant to be around. There was also some dancing going on along with a few guests lip locking with each other. But that wasn't shocking for Stan to see. He'd seen far worse with at past parties.

As he made his way inside Francine Simmons' house, Stan heard the song _The Power_ by _SNAP!_ being played loudly. He right away recognized several of the party guests seeing as they were all seniors from his high school. Stan tried to play it cool when he saw how a few of them were giving him weird looks. They were probably surprised to see a non-senior here, Stan thought to himself. As discreetly as possible, Stan continued making his way further inside Francine's house.

The blonde's house was two stories and as Stan was now finding out it was quite roomy. From the outside it looked big but once inside it was even bigger. Stan was starting to get worried whether or not he was going to find Gwen given how big the place was and because of how many people were there. He decided to leave the living room area and walked over to where he thought was the kitchen. His guess was proved to be correct as it was the kitchen. Adding to his luck, it was there that Stan was finally found Gwen.

Stan felt his heart sky rocket the moment he saw her.

The Tozier girl was there leaning against one of the kitchen counters. She was talking animatedly with Francine. Stan saw that Gwen was no longer wearing the dress he had seen her in earlier at graduation. Instead Gwen was wearing dark jeans, a _Pink Floyd_ t-shirt with a dark navy flannel over it, and had on a pair of black _converse_. Her hair was also back in its natural state of waves, and from the looks of it she had little to no makeup up.

That had Stan smiling. Now this was the Gwen he knew. The real Gwen.

As if sensing he was staring at her, Gwen turned her head in his direction and locked eyes with him. Her face had an unreadable expression for a moment there before it quickly transformed into one of content. Stan took this as his single to finally approach her. He felt his stomach start to flip when he stopped right in front of her. Francine thankfully managed to get him to stop thinking about the flips by saying hello. Stan gave her a nod of acknowledgment before turning his attention onto Gwen.

"So you actually came. I thought parties weren't your thing." Gwen looked at him, smiling. Now unlike last time, Stan was able to push back his nerves and answer her the way he wanted to.

"They're not but I decided to give this one a chance." Stan told her with his own smile. This time it was a loving smile that he hadn't released for quite some time now. A loving smile that would only come out when alone with Gwen. Except they weren't really alone at the moment. Therefore, it was both familiar and distant. A strange combination that left Stan feeling all sorts of confusion and dejection.

Before anything else could be said between the two of them another voice filled the air.

"Stanley Uris is that you?"

 _Oh boy_...Stan knew who that voice belonged to.

"Would you look at that the bird man is here!" Richie exclaimed happily as he pulled Stan against his right side. "Quick someone alert the authorities." He said after his round of laughter had ended.

There once was a time where Stan was a bit taller than Richie. However, Richie was now the tallest one out of the two of them. Not by a lot but it was enough for Richie to joke about whenever they hung out...which seemed less and less, Stan realized. The curly haired boy actually couldn't remember when was the last time Richie joyfully greeted him this way.

Now Stan never liked it when people got into his personal space. He liked living in his own bubble. Except he wasn't really bothered with Richie being all up and personal with him. There was a sense of familiarity with his embrace. It was one he found himself welcoming...and one he thought he briefly had with Gwen.

Stan unsurprisingly found himself leaning against Richie for a few seconds there, welcoming the friendly embrace. "Hey, Richie." He greeted, giving the bespectacled boy a pat to his shoulder. Stan was able to notice that Richie was wearing black sneakers, ripped jeans, and one his funny comic book t-shirts he had been wearing since the start of high school. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Stan briefly recalled that the bespectacled boy wore Hawaiian buttons down at one point. Clearly that wasn't his go to style not anymore.

Compared to the outfit he was wearing, Richie's was way more casual. It's not like Stan was super dressed up or anything. He was wearing one his nice pair of jeans and a light brown short sleeve collared t-shirt. He was wearing sneakers like Richie. Only his weren't black they were dark grey. Also they weren't as used, and if one looked long enough they'd be able to tell the sneakers were just recently cleaned despite the already good condition they were in.

Richie returned the pat before he let go of Stan. "I'm surprised you're here." He told the curly haired boy. "I thought parties weren't your thing." He was puzzled that Stan was here but his happiness outweighed his confusion.

Stan ran one of his hands through his curly hair, sheepish. "They're not but..." He glanced at Gwen. The dark haired girl was quick to notice this.

"He decided to give this one a chance." Gwen finished saying for Stan.

Richie looked between his sister and Stan. His brown eyes behind his glasses gleamed with amusement. "Well, whatever the reason I'm glad you're here. It's been awhile since we've hung out."

"Yeah..." Stan started off solemnly as he glanced at Gwen again. "It has."

Richie and Francine noticed that brief exchange that was made. Richie in particular took interest with what he saw. Despite Stan and him not having a close friendship anymore, they still had their moments. Granted they were rare but it was during those so called moment that Richie was able to remember Stan liking his sister when they were younger. However, nothing ever happened between the two of them. So Richie thought that Stan's feelings weren't as strong. But perhaps he had been wrong to assume that. Maybe they were strong but Stan was too chicken shit to do anything. As for Gwen...well, he'd always known that his sister was completely freakin' oblivious when it came to guys being attracted to her.

Gwen really developed during her the last two years of high school and that was unfortunately something Richie had to hear about. Seriously the amount of times Richie had overhead his male classmates talk about his sister made him nauseous and furious. Teenage boys were disgusting and that was say something because he himself was a teenage boy. Richie knew he was being a hypocrite for shitting on others for being vulgar when he himself made vulgar comments all the time. That's what he was mainly known for in high school. Along with his carefree personality. That was certainly something teachers didn't like. He'd lost count on the amount of times Mrs. Walters had kicked him out of her class during his freshman year.

Anyways the point was he didn't care that he was being a hypocrite. Not when it came to Gwen. When it came to his older sister, Richie wanted others to respect her. Just like Stan respected her. Richie had never once heard the curly haired boy speak in such a disrespectful way towards Gwen. Whenever he noticed Stan staring at her from afar it wouldn't be with a look filled with lust. No...the look was soft and caring. It was a look that Richie knew the majority of girls would want to be given. And it was one Gwen would get from Stan. If only she noticed though.

As Richie was finishing his thoughts the song _Poison_ by _Bell Biv DeVoe_ began playing. Francine immediately jumped in place from where she was standing. She looked at her dark haired friend with a smile. "Let's go dance Gwen!" Francine excitedly told her.

Gwen made a face. "Franny, you know I don't dance."

The blonde was about to respond but was interrupted by Richie.

"Of course you do but only after hours of practice." Richie chuckled, readjusting his glasses. He was referring to the dancing she done for plays she had been in since joining the theater club. "Remember how you practiced nonstop when you got the role of _Kim Macafee_ for _Bye_ _Bye Birdie._ "

Gwen groaned, embarrassed. "Ugh, don't remind me of that."

 _Bye Bye Birdie_ was the first musical she did after joining the theater club halfway through her sophomore year. Gwen had been excited to have gotten the role of _Kim MacAfee_ in the musical. Everything had been going well the first couple of weeks. Gwen and the other student who were in the musical mainly practiced their singing and memorizing the lines. Which was easy stuff for Gwen. Things took a bump on the road for Gwen when the time came to learn her dance moves. She was one of the few students who struggled with the dancing portion. Gwen had to put in extra hours to practice her dance moves in order for her to look somewhat decent. Those extra hours helped out a lot because after the performance she was told she did a good job. Gwen, however, figured people noticed her voice more than her dancing. Which was fine with her. At least after that first musical learning dance lessons weren't as hard. She still struggled but not as bad as the first time around.

"I thought you were great in that musical." Stan honestly told her. He had seen her performance opening night. In his opinion he thought she was magnificent. Her dancing might have not been the best but it was enough for the performance. Plus the strength in her voice was what really mattered. It was her voice that captured the audiences attention and what had many people coming to the other showings the high school had.

For a moment there Gwen her stomach do a strange flip. She did her best not overlook such a feeling. "Thanks, Stan." She answered, smiling politely.

"I agree. Looking passed the mediocre dancing, you're singing was great, acting too." Richie told her in that familiar lighthearted way of his.

Gwen playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for the compliment, little brother."

"Plus you got to kiss Caleb Thompson." Francine reminded her, giggling.

Stan, who strangely forgot about that detail, frowned. Well, maybe it wasn't so strange. Not when it involved Gwen kissing someone else. He must have completely blacked it out when he saw the musical. Which made complete sense. Why in the world would be want to remember that? Just thinking about it upset him and caused an aching feeling. Whether he remembered or not, the kiss did happen and Francine just had to bring it up.

However, he wasn't the only to have forgotten that stage kiss. As Stan's frown formed Gwen's smile fell a little. Neither had yet to notice the others reaction, their thoughts occupying their attention. Especially Gwen who was thinking about the kiss that was occurred between her and Caleb Thompson.

Caleb Thompson who played the role of _Hugo Peabody_ in the musical with her. He was a year older than her and had graduated last year. Gwen and him ended up working closely throughout the time of the musical's preparation. They had to since their characters had a lot of scenes together. Not to mention their characters had a relationship that they needed to portray perfectly in the musical. And they did. The so called kiss Francine mentioned was one that happened during the musical. The kiss had been simple and tame in Gwen's opinion. A quick peek. It wasn't bad but Gwen couldn't say it was great either. It was just...a kiss. It was nothing to get overly excited about. At least not with Caleb Thompson.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. She was composed now, lighthearted even. "It was just a simple kiss. It wasn't anything special." She told them exactly what she was thinking.

When Stan heard that the ache he felt from before started to disappear. His frown was no longer there as he gazed at Gwen. Instead there was a small smile and it was one the Tozier girl returned to the curly haired boy.

Once again Richie noticed the way Stan and Gwen were looking at each other. The way they were _really_ looking at each other. An idea formed in his head and he decided where the harm was with going through with it. Who knows...maybe if he left those two alone fireworks would erupt. Metaphorically speaking of course. Richie switched his gaze onto Francine. He could tell that she was still eager to dance by the way she was shifting her feet. "Tell you what, I'll dance with you, Blondie." Richie suddenly told Francine. "Since my darling sister over here doesn't want to."

Francine paused her movements. She looked at the youngest Tozier with slightly wide eyes. "Really?" She asked, surprised that he was asking her to dance.

Richie nodded his head. "Yeah just keep your hands to yourself." He adjusted his glasses as he gave her a playful smile. "You need to buy me dinner first before any of that steamy stuff happens."

It didn't surprise Gwen to hear Richie talking this way. Richie had become a bit of a playful flirt now that he was older. Perhaps most older sisters would have been bothered to have their younger brother interact that way with one of their friends but not Gwen. Richie wasn't the type to push boundaries. He knew right from wrong. Honestly, Richie Tozier was a gentleman. Gwen knew that Richie didn't like being called a gentleman because he thought that would ruin the easygoing reputation he had...but that's exactly what he was. In his own humorous way of course.

Francine's surprise vanished when she finally realized Richie was just being his high spirited self. She let out a laugh, accepting his dancing invitation. "Whatever Tozier, come on."

Gwen and Stan with amused expressions watched as the two teens went into the living room area.

"She's going to dance circles around him." Gwen laughed as she thought about her friend and younger brother dancing together. It was surely going to be quite a sight. She was almost tempted to go there to see the scene play out. However, Gwen had a feeling if she went to the living room where the dancing was going on she'd get roped in. She decided to stay where she was. Gwen's smile suddenly grew when she heard Stan laughing.

"I think Richie can take her on." Stan said as he turned his attention onto her.

His eyes softened as soon as Gwen came into his view again. Looking into those light brown made made Gwen concentrate on the beating of her heart. She felt how it was going beating faster than before. It was just two of them now. Well there was a couple other party goers that were lingering in the kitchen. Those party goers though appeared to be in their own world, so it practically felt like it was just Stan and her.

That just puzzled Gwen.

Why was she suddenly feeling this way? As if her heart was going to jump right out of her chest. This was a feeling she hardly ever got. The last time she felt this way was during freshman year. When she had been crushing mad hard on Chase Campbell...but the beautiful blue eyed boy died. And as much as it pained Gwen she had to let him go. It was an awful thing happened to him...cutting his wrists. She felt sadness whenever she thought about the way he went. Gwen thought he had been happy with his life but clearly she had gotten it all wrong.

Since Chase she hadn't felt anything close to romance for anyone. Yeah she felt some attraction for a few guys here and there during her high school years but not enough that made Gwen want to be with them in a relationship. That dating stuff didn't interest Gwen. Perhaps that's why she also failed at recognizing whenever someone took interest in her. She was too focused on her school and musical work to even be thinking about having a boyfriend at the moment. However, here she was with Stan...just standing near him and she could feel her heart beating like crazy. What the hell was that about?

Maybe she just needed a damn drink. Yeah maybe that's what she needed to cool down. Gwen took in a shaky breath as she composed herself. "So do you want something to drink?" She asked Stan as she made her way to the fridge. Hopefully her laid back demeanor was convincing enough.

Stan was convinced by her act but that probably had more to do with the question he asked her. The curly haired boy was able to put together on what something to drink meant. "Uh, I don't..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. He wasn't much of a drinker...and he wasn't about to change that now.

His lack of an actual answer had Gwen turning around. By now she had the fridge opened for him to see inside. "Don't worry there's sodas if you want that instead." She informed Stan instantly calming him down.

"I'll take a _Coke_ please." Stan told her with a small smile.

Gwen gave him a nod as she got the drink for him. She then walked back to her original spot and handed him the drink.

"Francine went all out with the beverages." Stan said after cracking open the _Coke_ can. He found the carbonated drinks to be nice touch for people like him who preferred non-alcoholic drinks. The other parties he had gone to only ever had alcohol. As a took a sip of his soda he inwardly thanked Francine for getting carbonated drinks.

"Actually it was Francine's parents who bought the sodas." Gwen began telling him. "One of the girls from the softball team managed to get their older brother to buy beer, so we put it in here. There's also a keg stand outside in the backyard but I have no idea who brought that." She said shrugging her shoulders. "They were just kind enough to bring it."

 _How kind._ Stan thought sarcastically. He was a bit surprised when he saw that she was empty handed. "You're not drinking?" Stan knew how Gwen liked to drink. A little too much for her health. So he of course was relieved (yet surprised) to see her not drinking. He figured she would be considering she had graduated high school and the need for celebration was in the air.

Gwen shook her head. "I'm not a fan of beer. I find it icky." She told him before a mischievous smile came out of hiding. "But no worries, I do come prepared." She showed him the small flask that she was keeping in her back pocket.

"What's in it?" Stan asked narrowing his eyes at said object.

Gwen didn't notice his look as she went on to open the flask. "The best drink of all man kind. Bourbon. Although, I do admit I am a fan of wine but I only drink it when I want to feel fancy. Which is like hardly ever so..." She stopped talking as soon as she realized that she had no idea where she was going with that. Deciding to end the sentence for good, Gwen took a gracious swing and felt that familiar burn in her throat.

Stan silently wished she'd put the flask away. Weirdly enough as soon as he had wished it, Gwen closed and put the flask in her back pocket. She now was staring silently at him causing Stan feel a blush forming on his cheeks. He couldn't tell what she was thinking about because he couldn't read her expression. He was about to ask her a question but she bet him to it. What she asked certainly took him by surprise.

"Do you want to go somewhere else? It's getting too loud in here for me." Gwen figured the question was due to the alcohol because it had come out of nowhere. However, she wasn't backtracking what she said. The alcohol was doing its job on keeping that weird feeling she had from returning.

Stan right away wanted to answer yes but he decided not to be quick about it. "Where would you want to go?" He asked her. It had been forever since Gwen and him had a moment to themselves. He did want it to end just yet, and if it meant going somewhere else in Francine's house then so be it. However, he wanted to be polite about it and let her choose where.

Gwen looked up at the ceiling. "We can go upstairs." She casually suggested.

Stan could tell the flips in his stomach were starting up again. "Okay." He agreed. The curly haired boy then took one last sip from his soda before setting on the kitchen counter. He didn't even care that he hadn't finished it. Stan supposed he could have taken the soda with him but honestly the happiness he felt from continuing his conversation with Gwen, and somewhere more privately for that matter, made him forget about doing that.

The two teens made their way out of the kitchen. They had to pass by the living room in order to get to the stairs. When walking through the living room they saw that there were more people than before. The majority of them were dancing their butts off. Among those dancing party goers were Francine and Richie. Gwen and Stan laughed when they saw them. Gwen had been right...it was quite the sight to see.

Now neither Gwen or Stan could say who reached for whose hand first, but at some point when walking through the crowded living room, they ended up holding hands. This made the both them puzzled yet secretly happy that it happened. And Neither Gwen or Stan let go, not even when then finally reached the stairs. They held hands the entire time they made their way upstairs. It was only when they entered a certain room that Gwen let go.

Stan tried not to let his disappointment show as he inspected the room they had entered. He took in the the somewhat girly decor and realized just whose room belonged to. "Should we be in Francine's room?" He asked as he watched Gwen take a seat on Francine's bed.

"She won't mind." Gwen reassured him as she looked at him. She got an amused expression when she saw how he remained where he was by the door. "So are you just going to stand there or...?"

With her reassurance that it was okay being in there, Stan was about to make his way to sit down. However, before he did such a thing he quickly closed the door. A little nagging pull in his head told him to close it. Stan knew that it was his OCD tendencies coming out to play. Gwen noticed this as well but didn't comment on it. Instead she moved from where she was sitting to give him some room to sit down.

"So you're leaving tomorrow." Stan blurted out right after he took a seat next to her.

 _Oh...so we're gonna get into that again._ Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah." She told him feeling a stirring in her stomach from looking at those light brown eyes of his. She lowered her gaze a bit.

Stan could feel the sadness start to arise in him. "Are you excited?" He asked her, trying his best to sound as if he wasn't affected by her leaving.

"I am." Gwen right away told him. She had a smile on her face but it didn't last long. "But uh..."

Stan caught her hesitation on that last part. He couldn't help but want her to elaborate on it. "What?"

Gwen stared directly into his light brown eyes again. "I'm just gonna miss Richie, you know?" She truthfully told him. However, she wasn't done talking just yet. "I'm gonna miss a lot of people. Like my parents, Francine, Bill, Eddie and... _you_. I mean, I'm happy to be leaving Derry but that doesn't mean I'm happy leaving behind the people I care about. "

"You care about me?" Stan quietly asked her. Pure disbelief could be heard in his tone of voice when he asked that.

"Of course I care about you, Stan." Gwen softly told him.

His face was so warm now that Stan thought he must have looked like a tomato. Except the curly haired boy couldn't care less about his appearance at the moment. "Well, just so you know, I'll miss you too." He earnestly told her.

Gwen could no longer look passed the racing of her heart after hearing him say that. She was starting to get very bashful from the way he was looking at her. And due to that bashfulness, Gwen's verbal vomit took over.

"I don't think you'll miss me as much I'm going to miss you. Not to mention I'm going to miss those cute curls of yours." Gwen blurted out. She tried to remain cool on the outside as she realized what she just said. Another weird feeling showed up distracting her from her embarrassment. Why did it feel like she had said that before? She hadn't...right? She shook that thought away, appearing full on sheepish now. "Don't listen to me." She huffed, laughing lowly. "I'm just drunk."

"You're not drunk." Stan evenly pointed out.

That had Gwen furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm not?"

Stan shook his head. "I've seen you drunk before and this isn't you drunk. You're not even buzzed. Not really."

Gwen looked taken back by what he said. It was true that she wasn't drunk. She wasn't even really buzzed as Stan pointed out. But that's not what caught her off guard. It was what he said about seeing her drunk. "Wait you've seen me drunk? When?" She hurriedly asked him. She was starting to feel shame as much as embarrassment at the thought that Stan had seen her in that condition.

Stan sighed. "Several times actually." He finally admitted to her. "Mainly when you're were out and about with those theater kids. You guys always used to hang out near the diner. Sometimes I would pass by after finishing my bird sighting around town and I'd see you there."

Gwen hid her shock with casualness. "How very observant of you, Stan the Man."

Stan became muddled after hearing her call him that. He didn't focus on that feeling for long since there was an important conversation going on. "I don't like seeing you drunk." He honestly told her. "You're not you when you're drunk."

"Or maybe I'm the _real_ me." Gwen playfully argued not taking him seriously. She didn't want this conversation to turn serious...it would just ruin their night.

Stan wouldn't budge with her attempt at humor. "No...you're not. I know you."

Gwen maintained her lighthearted persona. "Oh, you know me." She repeated, frivolously.

Stan's gaze was solemn. "Yeah...I do."

Gwen could no longer hide behind a breezy attitude. Not with the way Stan was looking at her. Even though it was a serious stare, Gwen was able to pick on the tenderness that was there. It appeared that Stan cared for her as much as she cared for him. "Well, for the moment I'm me. So don't worry about drunk Gwen appearing." She earnestly told him.

"Good."

Things become quiet after Stan said that.

Gwen couldn't take the silence so she stood up. "You know, I think I've left some of my old cassette tapes in here."

The curly haired boy watched as Gwen went over to Francine's desk and opened a drawer. He heard her laugh as she took out a cassette tape.

"Ah so this is where I left it." Gwen happily said. Stan then watched as she walked over to where Francine had her boombox and watched as she inserted the cassette tape.

Stan waited for the song to play and when it did he immediately knew what song it was.

 _Lovesong_ by _The Cure._

"This is such an old song." Gwen said as she took a seat next to Stan again.

"Just by three years." Stan pointed out.

"Three years seems like a lifetime ago." Gwen said thoughtfully. Something tugged inside her. Why did the year 1989 mean something to her? It was weird to think that year held some sort of meaning for her. That year was a hazy. Well, she did remember somethings that happened that year...at least during her schooling. Except she could barely remember anything that happened during the summer. Anytime she tried to think about the summer of 1989 she would just get a headache. She supposed it was best not to pry...not if it meant getting a headache that was worse than the ones she would get after a night of drinking.

Gwen pushed any thoughts of 1989 away as she focused on the song. "I do like the lyrics." She told Stan, flashing him a smile. Stan found himself smiling as he too listened to the lyrics.

 _Whenever I'm alone with you_  
 _You make me feel like I am young again_  
 _Whenever I'm alone with you_  
 _You make me feel like I am fun again_

Stan's ears perked when he heard how Gwen was quietly singing along to the song's lyrics. He was glad he was able to hear her sing one more last time before she left. The curly haired boy always liked hearing the dark haired girl sing. Even if she was quietly singing the way she was at the moment. He still thought her voice was beautiful. She had such a amazing voice and that needed to be heard by others. She was too talented to stay here in Derry. Stan knew that she would go far with her singing...but in order for that to happen she needed to leave Derry.

As Stan's thoughts settled down his eyes zeroed in on Gwen clutching her necklace. A necklace that had been safely tucked inside her t-shirt up until now. The dark haired girl now had it out in display with her holding onto it.

Although it had caught his attention, Stan didn't think much on such action. That was until he saw what the necklace really was. When Gwen had let go, Stan saw the ring. The ring that was looped around the necklace chain. "You're wearing a ring as a necklace."

Gwen stopped the quiet singing she was doing. She looked at Stan, puzzled. She hadn't heard really heard what he said since she had been distracted by the song. It didn't take long though to figure what he said considering he was staring at her necklace. Gwen glanced at her necklace before looking at Stan again. "Yeah, I decided to wear it." The dark haired girl quietly said. She didn't plan on wearing the piece of jewelry since she hardly ever wore it. However, when she was getting ready something inside her told her to wear it...so she did.

Stan couldn't stop staring at the necklace, or rather the ring. Why was he suddenly getting all emotional? More so than usual. Why did that ring turned necklace matter so much to him?

"I think it was a gift." Gwen said interrupting his thoughts. "I don't exactly remember who gave it to me but...I _love_ it."

Stan exhaled shakily. She _loved_ it. He had no idea why hearing her say that made him feel such joy...but it did. The joy he had gave him the courage to do the one thing that he'd been trying to do since...well, ever. He slowly started to lean towards her.

Gwen's dark brown eyes widened. "What are you doing?" She asked, completely shell-shocked. Despite her shock, she hadn't moved. Not an inch. She stayed right where she was.

Stan stopped his movement when he saw Gwen's surprised expression. He was now so close to her that just a soft push would have theirs lips connecting. "I'm sorry." Stan apologized, suddenly ashamed with himself. He pulled back once getting the fog out of his head. _Why the hell was I thinking?_ Stan shook his head. Trying to kiss her and without even asking if she wanted to. "I shouldn't have tried to kiss you without asking your permission." He told Gwen, voice wavering. "That was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

Gwen looked at him, softly. "No...don't apologize, Stan." She wasn't angry or anything...she was just thrown off. "It just took me off guard, that's all." She let him know her thoughts. "Besides...it's not like I don't want to." Gwen became quiet after she said that. Now it was her turn to feel the warmth take over her face. "But-but we probably shouldn't." She heavily breathed out. Her heart hammered against her chest as she stared into those light brown eyes of his. "I'm leaving tomorrow...and it would just complicate things."

Stan had to admit she had point there. Kissing would just complicate things. "I know." Stan quietly agreed.

"If it was just a one time thing then yeah but I don't want to do that with you. You don't deserve that. You're a nice guy and _―_ "

"Forget about all that."

Gwen's rambling stopped when she heard Stan say that. She gave him a stunned look. "What?"

"I don't care if it's a one time thing." Stan said without breaking eye contact with her. That just showed Gwen how serious he was. "I mean, of course I would want it to be more than a one time thing.

Gwen sighed. "Stanley..."

Stan, however, didn't let her finish her sentence. He needed to tell Gwen exactly what he was thinking before this courage that was there went away. "No Gwen I have to say this. So please listen. I care about you...more than a friend should. I've had feelings for you ever since I can remember. But you're leaving tomorrow and if all I ever get is one night with you...then so be it. But who knows...maybe if we let this happen it could lead to something more...but we won't know until we try."

Gwen was silent, staring at him. Her expression was one of disbelief but also one of awe. Gwen couldn't remember the last time she had heard Stan sound so...assertive. She was impressed and it was just making her feelings go on a frenzy. The dark haired girl did her best to not show how affected she was. She inhaled and exhaled calmly. "Stan, do you not hear how utterly insane that sounds?" She said trying to make him see reason.

Stan shook his head. "I don't think it's insane. I mean, we both feel something for each other. I know that we do."

"So what we kiss and then I leave?" Gwen asked, frowning.

"No, we can work things out. I know that we can." Stan earnestly answered. He became quiet, just staring at her softly. "So if you allow it...can I please kiss you?"

Gwen blinked, appearing alright on the outside. Inside was a different story. She was actually thinking things through. The Tozier girl did want to kiss him...oh how she wanted to. There was no denying that anymore. Stan was right...she did feel something for him. She had strong feelings for him. Strong feelings that for some reason had been hidden deep inside. Gwen could no longer ignore those feelings. They had been suppressed for far too long that she she needed to act out on them. Gwen no longer cared about the complications.

Complications be damned.

Gwen's dark brown eyes softened along with her features. Her right hand gently ran through Stan's curly hair. The curly hair she liked ( _loved_ ) so much. " _Stanley_..." She whispered, smiling. "You can kiss me."

Stan's breath hitched. He thought he was just hearing things but Gwen's slight head nod let him know that what she said was real. So with such care, thinking only of her, Stan leaned in again. This time the curly haired boy did not stop and the moment his lips touched Gwen's he felt something light up inside him. It was such an intense feeling that it had Stan gently putting his hands on Gwen's face to control the shudders he felt. The intensity didn't stop the kiss from continuing.

Gwen felt the exact same thing...and for a second there she thought she had seen a memory flash in her head. One of a younger Stan and her...kissing. It passed by so fast that Gwen didn't even think it had been a real memory to begin with. It didn't make any sense.

Stan and her had never kissed...not until right now...and Gwen couldn't focus on that made up memory because she was too into Stan's kiss. A kiss that she was absolutely enjoying.

Stan and her were putting so much feeling into the kiss that it had the two of them slowly falling onto the bed. What had started out as a one kiss for testing the waters, was now a kiss (or actually kisses) of passion. Their kisses and touches were heightened due to their connection, the very connection they had forgotten about. Their affection for one another though didn't go beyond kisses and touches that night. It was obvious that neither of them were ready for _that_...and neither were disappointed that it didn't happen. The two of them were perfectly content with the kisses and soft touches that were given.

Gwen thought she heard Stan murmur _"I love you"_ a few times as they finally gave into their emotions, but she was feeling so many things at once she wasn't one hundred percent sure. Although she was pretty convinced that she said it back to him at some point as well.

They two teens remained upstairs together in that room until a rather _loud_ drunk couple came barging in...and after that happened their moment was over. Gwen and Stan, once composing themselves, left to go downstairs again...and that's where they remained for a few more hours together. Having fun. A type of fun that the two of them hadn't experienced in awhile. They left on a very good note that night...and Gwen expected to see Stan the following morning to say goodbye to her.

Except Stan never showed up to say goodbye. Gwen was deeply saddened and her immediate thought was that perhaps he had grown to regret last night. Even after everything he had said, maybe he did regret kissing her.

That was far from the truth though. The truth was, that for reasons Stan wouldn't be able to explain until he was older, he simply _forgot_. His mind had gone blank that morning. He had a weird feeling that he was forgetting something but he didn't know what. It wouldn't be until hours later into the day that he realized what he forgot.

Needles to say, Stan felt like a major idiot and he hated himself for forgetting about Gwen. His forgetfulness wasn't truly his fault...but he wouldn't know that until later. Way later.

Despite not getting a chance to say a proper goodbye to each other, the two teens told themselves that they would call or send letters to each. That they'd keep in touch somehow, hoping to work things out just as they had discussed. However, that didn't end up happening.

The sad truth was that Stanley Uris and Gwen Tozier wouldn't speak to each other again until the year of 2016.


End file.
